Ch. 83
Nick just stood there, slightly dumbfounded and unsure if his voice would work if he tried to say words. There was Jeff…his Pretty Boy, down on one knee, essentially asking him to be his husband…and wasn't that the best damn thing in the whole, wide world? His heart was pounding and he was certain he had a stupid, love sick grin on his face. He was so in love with this man. Where in the world did this come from…this proposal? He was stunned…and absolutely on board…with a few minor adjustments.
"Jeff…" He breathed out, his smile huge and just so eager to take over his whole face.
"Nicky?" Jeff smiled at him, still down on his knee.
"I'm…baby, I'm so blown away right now…" He managed. "I'm coming down there with you, because I'm fairly sure my knees are knocking together now." Nick laughed, then sunk to the floor and crossed his legs like a kid…Criss cross applesauce style. (yeah, that's right, I did it….)
"You're gonna draw this out and make me wait, aren't you? You're going to try to negotiate…" Jeff grinned.
"Awww, Pretty Boy, you know me so well." Nick grinned right back. "I didn't get where I am today without developing some pretty damn good negotiating skills."
"What's to negotiate? I'm asking, all you have to say is yes or no, really. I'll sign your papers if you'll sign mine, Nicky."
"No, that's not all there is to it and you know it." Nick said, leaning in closely to kiss Jeff. "For the record, I'm saying yes to this…." He said, and plucked the ring out of Jeff's fingers deftly, examining it closely, so much love in his eyes that it was startling to Jeff. "And now if you'll just put this on my finger, we can negotiate terms." He smirked. Jeff rolled his eyes.
"If you don't like this one, we can—"
"Don't you dare! I love it, it's beautiful, it's simple, and it screams 'me' from a mile away. Timeless, perfect, and you picked it, so it couldn't be more wonderful, so just gimme!" Nick said, wiggling his fingers at Jeff.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want something with diamonds or—"
"Nope, I want this. I don't do flashy and attention grabbing…unless it's my car, or you, of course. You grab everyone's attention. I think it's your ass, though…." Nick grinned.
"You're such a child..." Jeff said, and slipped it on Nick's finger as they sat together on the stage floor. "Just one more reason that I love you as much as I do. You're perfect for me." He said with all the love he could muster. "But we will talk about this, Nick. I'm not backing down on the pre-nup."
"We'll see." Nick smiled, admiring the ring on his finger. "I'm sort of without words, Jeff." Nick said, the enormity of the situation finally setting in. "You want to marry me….ME!"
"I do…as long as you wanna marry me, that is."
"More than anything in this world, babe. Can we not wait? Can we do it soon? I'm really down with this idea, and the only reason you beat me to it is because I thought you'd freak out and tell me I was rushing you."
"Am I?" Jeff wanted to know. "Am I rushing you? I mean, we can wait if you want?"
"What part of 'can we not wait, can we do it soon?' didn't get through all that blonde hair, baby? I don't want to wait, I wanted to ask you months ago, but I thought that would have been absurd and you'd have run screaming for the hills. I want to, so much. Let's do this!" Nick said, vibrating with exuberance and so excited that Jeff laughed at him and fell backwards.
Not one to pass up that opportunity, Nick dove across and landed on his chest, leaning in to kiss him thoroughly, enjoying the way Jeff had to keep himself from laughing as Nick began the sing song of 'you're my fiancé, you're my fiancé…'.
"Such a goof!" Jeff snickered. "Get off me, we have paperwork to negotiate!"
"Now? It has to be done now?"
"Yup, or you'll get me home, get naked, try to take my mind off of it until it gets swept under the rug. No can do, Nicky. This is serious stuff!" Jeff said, trying to be stern but failing miserably. Nick sobered then, for a brief second, and looked right into Jeff's eyes.
"I love you…I love this." Nick said, holding up his left hand. "I want it more than you know, Jeff. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to be your husband and to be able to call you mine. It doesn't matter how long we've known one another, how long we've dated…it matters that I can't live without you, and I never want to. It matters that you love me back, and I know that you do in every gesture, every touch, and every word. You are my other half, my soul mate…so thank you for this. And in case I was unclear, at any point, Jeffrey Sterling…yes. Yes, I will marry you, I will be so proud to do so, and I want to be yours forever. I love you…so much." Nick told him, then leaned in for a breathtaking kiss that left Jeff shaken and stunned with its intensity.
"Wow….." Was all Jeff was able to get out afterwards, feeling a little dizzy and overwhelmed. "That was the best answer ever." He grinned, holding Nick tightly and rubbing his nose over his fiancé's as they lay on the stage floor.
"But…I do want to go home. I want to sign this for you, if you require it, but not until I've read it from beginning to end, and I can't see so much without my glasses, which are in my office…."
"Old man…" Jeff teased, nipping at Nick's bottom lip.
"Uh huh, lemme show you what this 'old man' still has left in him." Nick replied, rolling his hips down, making Jeff's eyelids flutter and his breath quicken. Jeff let out a little moaning grunt of satisfaction as Nick continued to talk. "Besides, you're the one with the birthday today, 'Mr. I'm Another Year Older'!" He teased.
"I'm not ready to go yet. I want to walk around my new theater. The love of my life….my fiancé…bought it for me because he loves me, and he believes in me." Jeff grinned.
"More than you will ever know, baby. I know you can do whatever you put your mind to. And I know that when you do it, I'll be standing right behind you, backing you up 100%. You're amazing."
Jeff stood then, and pulled Nick up next to him, grabbing all of their things from the floor. Papers seemed to have gone everywhere.
"I don't want you to stand behind me, Nicky. I want you right next to me…right by my side. It's where you'll always belong." Jeff said, leaning in to kiss Nick's lips again, this time a short, chaste kiss as he turned on his heel and headed out the other side of the theater. "Keep up, baby…" He winked. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home...and eventually get naked." Nick didn't need to be asked twice.
"He kicked me out." Cooper said, sadly, as he walked into the apartment across the street. Maggie stood there, angry, with her hands on her hips and her teeth obviously clenched tightly. "He chased me out with a big ass candle stick and told me we couldn't have the apartment!"
"Can you blame him? Cooper!" She yelled. "What in the world were you thinking?!" She said, clearly upset. He spotted her phone on the counter and realized she'd checked her messages and had seen the photos, too. "Do you know…" She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You don't…of course you don't. God, Cooper…."
"What? What did I do? What don't I know?!" He wanted to know.
"Kurt stopped over here the other day…we talked for a bit while you were at work, and he was really worked up…wanted some advice…needed some words of encouragement he wasn't comfortable asking another guy for. I think Kurt is more sensitive than most people know, and when it came down to last night, he was truly uptight and unsure…but ready." Maggie said, shaking her head.
"Don't even try to tell me they haven't been having sex and last night was their first time, I know better, Mags." Coop stated, casting a glance at the kids' door to be sure it was closed.
"They do…they have. But Kurt….damn it, Cooper. There are things between THEM that aren't our business, and last night was a first, of sorts, for them, and …and you ruined that morning after 'glow' by barging in on their private moments! I'm so upset with you for this, Coop. We've talked about it, and yeah, we joke about it, but it's their place, their life, their personal space! You have to stop with the barging in and turning their private life into a freaking spectacle!" Maggie bellowed. "I'm totally irritated with you right now…." She said, and walked into the bedroom, closing the door a little too firmly for his liking.
Dropping down on the sofa, Cooper pulled out his phone and looked at all the photos he'd taken. Blaine and Kurt looked so peaceful, so in love, so at home and comfortable in their nest on the piano. He'd found it endearing and adorable and snapped a few pictures. He wanted to share that with their friends…like sharing a photo of your child that you found particularly cute. But it did seep into his brain that perhaps it wasn't his photo to share. He hadn't asked permission to share the photo, or, for that matter, to even take it. And now Maggie was upset with him, too. Clearly he'd screwed up.
Blaine was angry, Maggie was angry, Kurt was probably angry, and most likely embarrassed as well. Kurt kept to himself pretty much and wasn't one for ribald comments about their sex lives in front of anyone. Would Kurt be angry with Blaine because of this? Cooper felt like shit.
A few deep breaths later, he sent all of the photos he'd taken to Blaine's phone, then deleted them from his own phone. He texted Blaine to apologize, stating that he realized he was out of line, and asked him to apologize to Kurt as well. He, then, texted everyone else he'd sent the photos to and asked them to delete the photos and not mention anything to the boys about them, not to tease them or give them a hard time. He explained that he realized it wasn't his place to share such a private moment, or to take away from its importance by sharing it with others and having everyone commenting on it. When he was finished, he didn't feel any better, but he vowed to himself that he'd find a way to make up for it.
Trent lay awake in bed, Thad snuggled up behind him with an arm thrown over his torso, breathing evenly and snuffling softly into Trent's side. They'd been up late talking, which led to louder talking and then nearly tumbled over into arguing before Trent put an end to it and said 'enough'. They went to bed then, but he hadn't slept anywhere near 'well' and from the amount of tossing and turning Thad did, he was certain he hadn't slept much either. Which is why it was now almost 11 a.m. and they were both still in bed. They rarely slept in this late, even on the weekends, instead opting for getting up at a decent time and finding a new place to have breakfast together. It had been their Saturday morning ritual since they'd come to the city, and Trent wasn't sure if they'd make it today or not.
In a way it made him sad…something they'd done since they'd arrived in New York was now a broken tradition, but at the same time, he wasn't thrilled about waking Thad up. He'd been working so hard, dealing with so much at work and he was clearly stressed out. He needed the sleep and breakfast wasn't worth interrupting that sleep over. There was always lunch, right?
"If you were thinking any louder they'd complain next door." Thad said, startling him, his voice soft and patient…loving. Trent was glad for the 'loving' part, especially after the previous night.
"I'm sorry…"
"I'm just messing with you, T."
"No, I'm sorry for last night. I'm sorry for bombarding you with shit the minute you walked in the door. I'm sorry for getting so uptight over freaking Micah." Trent said, the name rolling off his tongue like acid as he attempted not to sneer when he said it. "I know you have to deal with him every day and it's stressful and the last thing I need to do when you get home is stress you out more, so I'm sorry." Trent said sadly.
"Honey..." Thad said, moving over Trent so he could look him in the eye. Trent rolled to avoid the eye contact, and Thad flinched at that. "Trent, look at me."
"Thad…its' fine…" Trent said, rolling a little more to avoid Thad seeing him.
"It's not fine if you can't even look at me, babe." Thad told him, using a little more force to try and roll Trent onto his back. "Awww, babe…."
"Stop, it's nothing, it's not worth me getting upset over." Trent tried to tell him, wiping at his eyes with the pillowcase.
"But look at you! Honey, you ARE upset! You're crying and ….damn it, Trent, look at me!" He said a bit more forcefully now. "This is nuts. I'm asking to be transferred out…somewhere…anywhere! I can't stand you like this, you're short tempered and irritable and upset all the time! You're going to get an ulcer, baby. No…don't. Don't look at me like I'm the one who's nuts."
"It's my fault I can't deal with him, Thad. I should be able to blow this off. I know you. I know you love me, and I know you'd never do anything to hurt me, but yesterday…."
"You're right, and I was very wrong. When I realized nobody else was going to show, I should have gotten up and left. I just hadn't been informed that their other meeting ran over, and when he showed up, he said they'd be along shortly…so we waited. I should have just gone, and I'm sorry." Thad pleaded.
"I would have felt better, yes….but it's done and over with. Imagine, though, what was running through my head when I walked by and looked in to see you two sitting there alone at that table eating lunch together. Put me in that spot, and what would you have thought?" Trent asked, his voice soft and muffled.
"I don't know…I can't say what I'd have thought, but considering what that jerk has put me through, and by extension, put you through, I can imagine it wouldn't have been thoughts of rainbows and butterflies flitting through my brain. Trent, I'm sorry…"
"Please…just stop. I know. I know you're sorry, I know you don't have feelings for him. I know…I just…I need it to stop…for you, for me, for us. It's making you uptight and angry and stressed out….it's making me the same, but I feel like I can't talk to you about it because then you get even more anxious. It's not healthy for us, and it needs to stop before it breaks something that we can't fix." Trent said, firmly.
"You're right. I'm going to Human Resources on Monday, first thing, with the list of things they've asked me to keep since our last meeting; Inappropriate comments, touching, gifts, etc. It's not ok, and if it upsets you and makes us not ok, then it has to stop immediately. I'll do what I can, T…I promise." Thad said, solemnly, as he put his hands on Trent's cheeks and gave him a small smile, hoping for eye contact, even if just for a second.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore today. I want to go on knowing that you're going to deal with it Monday, and then just do something else today. I need to get with Blaine and ask him what they plan to do about the apartments. It's nearly the first of the month and I want to move into Kurt's place if it's free. Have you seen upstairs yet?" Trent asked.
"Not yet…we can ask him today if they're around. All of our stuff is still sitting in storage, and if we can get that moved, we can stop paying one more bill…that'll be a good thing. We can put that money aside for the wedding."
"About that…" Trent began with a smirk.
"Do I want to know?"
"I was talking to Ted, at work, telling him how we've not been able to really think about it much…how money's tight, etc, and the venue itself is the biggest cost that we're saving for. He suggested, if you're ok with it, that maybe we could use the gallery for the wedding and the reception? He said he'd cut us a hell of a deal, and that way we could just set a date and get things rolling?" Trent said, hopefully.
"You want…at the gallery? What do you think about it? I mean, I'm down with that…I'd marry you tomorrow on the steps of the Justice of the Peace, but I don't see you going for it." Thad snickered.
"No….it's our day, and I want pictures and friends…but I think it's perfect. Neither of us is out to have a huge shindig, but it would be perfect for us…a small ceremony, our family and friends, plenty of room, beautiful artwork, there's a reception area where we could have food and drinks….the biggest room in the gallery would be great for dancing. They've never done it before, but he seemed really on board…for us. I mean, I don't think he'd do this for just anyone. I thought I'd run it by you. I don't want to put it off any longer if we have something to work toward." Trent told him.
"Are you working Monday?"
"Yep, 12 to 7."
"How about I swing by there after work and we can talk to him about it a little more…see what sort of price he's willing to negotiate, and we'll go from there?" Thad asked.
"I think that sounds like a plan. And Thad?"
"Mmhmm?"
"I love you. I love you, and I trust you and I don't want you to stress out about work…about what you think I'm thinking. I'm thinking I've known you for the better part of a decade, and you have never given me reason to not trust you. I know what's in your heart, and I think we're just fine, you and me, so please…just don't stress over this. Do what you need to do on Monday, and let's forget about it, ok?" Trent said, looking straight into Thad's eyes.
"That's exactly what I plan to do. And I think I might just love you back, too…"
"Do you think they really did it on the piano?" Hunter grinned, staring at his phone. Seb raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't have thought either one of them had it in 'em, but it looks like I was wrong. From the looks of that last text from Cooper, though, I'm hoping he didn't tell them I gave him keys this morning!" Seb laughed.
"You did!? Sebastian!" Hunter squealed, smacking him in the arm. "What the hell! I'm taking your keys away. You're a menace to the building!"
"I'm not! I'm conscious of my surroundings and I need to be aware of what goes on around me. If that means checking out what everyone else is doing or means of egress other than the obvious, then that's what it means!" Seb argued.
"Bullshit…you know this building inside and out. You should give their keys back, Sebby. How many of them have a key to our place?"
"Nobody, hell no. I don't want people to be in my stuff!" Seb argued.
"Hmmm, hypocritical much?" Hunter asked, forehead scrunched and brows raised. "I think Blaine's gonna have a say about it when he finds out YOU unlocked his door for Coop this morning…and Kurt's door. We'll see."
"I've always had keys. Kyle gave 'em to me—"
"When HE and Irene owned the building….now Blaine does. He might not think it's cool anymore. I'm just sayin', be prepared for the shit storm, because I think it's coming, babe. You brought it on yourself!" Hunter laughed. "Clearly Coop got his ass chewed by the ruckus we heard up there this morning, and now with this new text about deleting the photos…you know it's bad. Shit hit the fan." Hunter noted.
"Maybe…we'll see. On a completely unrelated note, when does your intern shit start?" Seb asked.
"InternSHIP….oh my God, Sebastian…."
"Whatever…"
"I'm interning under Dr. McGinty, and I thought he wanted me to start this week, but he's out of town for a conference, and not back until Friday, late, and then next week is something else…I have some time. I thought I'd use it to get everything moved in before first of the month…rent and all that."
"Sounds good. I thought, now that you have some time, that maybe we could go on a trip or something…a short vacation. We've been sorta stuck here in the city all summer and it has sucked." Seb suggested.
"We went away for a weekend." Hunter reminded him.
"Yeah, but that was just two days. I want this body all to myself for more than two days. I've tied you up and not allowed you to come for longer than that, geez…"
"Seb…"
"Shut up, the idea of being tied to the bed unable to come while I torture you for 48 hours has you hard already, look at you!" Seb laughed. Hunter gripped the back of his neck firmly, then pulled him into a heated kiss that shook Sebastian to his toes.
"Then fix it….now." Hunter growled, staring into Seb's eyes as he shoved the man toward his crotch roughly.
"Fuck yeah, you know I love it when you get rough, baby." Seb purred. He nearly ripped Hunter's thin sleeping pants off and dove face first into his groin, taking Hunter all the way down his throat in record time.
Hunter's eyes rolled back in their sockets at the feel of Seb's mouth on him…hot, wet and all consuming, Sebastian was a master of giving head, and he never, ever failed to rock Hunter's world. Giving him orders seemed to rile him up, so Hunter didn't hold back.
"God, Seb…hell yeah, your mouth….shit." Hunter grunted out as his back arched from the sheets fisted in his hands. "Suck me…harder…c'mon, boy, you can do better than that….show me!" Hunter urged him. He was rewarded with Sebastian's teeth scraping up his cock softly, hitting the vein on the underside of his shaft and making Hunter moan. "Fuck yeah…c'mon…do your worst, Seb…make me come." He went on.
"This is going to be over too quickly if you don't shut up!" Seb managed, pulling off to chastise Hunter. "You know what it does to me—"
"Shut up and suck, boy!" Hunter nearly shouted. Seb's eyes squeezed shut as he ground out a guttural whine and shook, hands around Hunter's hips digging in roughly.
"Hunter, stop-"
"Gonna fuck your mouth until you gag if you don't please me, boy. Now get to it!" Hunter ground out.
"D-Damn it…God damn it, Hunter!" Sebastian swore, tensing, shaking, rutting and losing his cool, now laying in his own mess on the sheets.
"We'll just have to keep doing this until you're able to hold your wad and you aren't so turned on by being given orders. Practice makes perfect, baby. Now suck…I'm not done with you!." Hunter growled at him. Seb's mouth covered him again and he sucked mercilessly, his head bobbing and his tongue rolling around the head of Hunter's cock as he watched the man above him enjoy the visual show. Hunter's pupils were blown now and he was barely able to keep his eyelids from falling as pleasure overtook him and he grabbed a handful of Sebastian's hair. "A-Almost ….Seb...fuck…God…FUCK!" He screamed as he came hot, hard and long down Seb's throat, a wicked gleam in his fiancé's eyes.
"Don't give me orders if you don't want me to follow them." Sebastian grinned evilly. "NOW who's not able to hold his wad? I guess we will have to practice more, hmmm?"
"Little brat…." Hunter huffed out, still catching his breath, wheezing as he collapsed back onto the pillows with a hand still wound through Sebastian's hair.
Blaine awoke to an odd sensation, one he wasn't used to, but could definitely get used to in a hurry if the warm feeling in his chest was any indication.
"I can feel you staring at me without even opening my eyes." Blaine grinned.
"You're weird. There's no way you could have felt that…you were guessing." Kurt grinned.
"No, honestly, I just…I feel you…when you're near. I can sense when you're around, and I love it. I love how my body knows you and wants you near me." Blaine grinned back. He opened his eyes then and reached out to Kurt. "Come here."
Kurt slid over to his side and snuggled down again. "You know we're going to have to get up sometime today, right? I mean, it's noon. We have moving to do, and I'm pretty sure I heard someone knocking a bit ago. I think that's what woke me up. Do you think it was Cooper?" Kurt asked.
"I doubt it. I think he understood he wasn't welcome here today…let's hope." Blaine said, and he was clearly irritated with his brother if his tone said anything at all.
"He means well. He couldn't have known what…about last night…that it was…different for us." Kurt stumbled through his words, blushing.
"You mean he couldn't have known you asked me to make love to you last night? He couldn't have known I spent the best night of my life making love to my amazing boyfriend atop the piano where we first met? He couldn't have known I had every intention of waking you up with amazingly intense morning-after sex again? Couldn't have known I waited all night and half the morning to bury myself inside you once again because once…once like that, Kurt…will never, ever be enough for me?" Blaine teased him.
"Stop it…" Kurt blushed more.
"Stay here…I want to do at least one of the things I'd planned for this particular morning. Don't go anywhere!" Blaine said, slipping off the side of the piano. Kurt watched him walk away, stark naked, and bit his lip as Blaine looked over his shoulder and shook his butt in a little wiggle.
Kurt heard the water running in the bathroom and hoped like crazy that Blaine was filling that massive tub for them. He'd wanted to try that out since the moment he laid eyes on it.
"Ok, up with you. Come with me." Blaine smiled, sauntering back into the room. The view from the front was just as good if not better.
"You're gorgeous…I just thought I'd throw that out there." Kurt smirked, but his eyes were filled with love. Blaine blushed and ducked his head while rolling his eyes. "I love that I can still make you blush, too."
"I'm sure you do."
"So um…is that the tub filling that I hear?"
"It is…care to join me?" Blaine asked.
"I'd be happy to. One thing…real quick. Go ahead in there and wait for me?" Kurt asked with a smile. He sat up to edge off the piano and sucked in a breath so hard that it had Blaine rushing over to him. "Forgot….forgot I would be sore…." Kurt hissed.
"Here…let me…." Blaine said, reaching to ease him down slowly from the piano. "I'm sorry…maybe I was too rough, I'm sorry, baby."
"Is ok…it's gonna…it's just…it was the first time and…I'll have to get used to that, won't I?" Kurt forced a lighthearted grin. "I'm ok….really, go do your thing.
"You're ok? You sure?" Blaine asked him again. Kurt nodded again and shooed him away. Blaine looked unsure at first, but gave a nod and complied.
Kurt took a few minutes to slice up the fruit Coop had apparently carried up for breakfast that morning, while he pushed a few pieces of toast down in the toaster. There was an orange and some berries in the fridge as well as an apple, a pear and a pineapple on the counter. No way was he tackling that pineapple now, though. He spooned some vanilla yogurt into bowl, added a spoon and the cut up fruit on the side. He slathered some butter across the toast, grabbed a big glass of juice and headed for the bathroom.
"You're a genius!" Blaine grinned as he saw why Kurt had stayed behind.
"I'm a hungry genius!" Kurt laughed. He settled into the warm water in front of Blaine and leaned back into his chest. "I dunno who built the surround around this tub of the gods, but he clearly knew it had to be wide enough to hold a plate." Kurt laughed and Blaine did the same.
They shared the fruit and took turns feeding each other the yogurt and toast. The juice was drained as well, and then the food was forgotten.
"Feeling any better…down there?" Blaine asked.
"Much…the warm water helped a lot."
"I'm glad…don't want you hobbling around in pain all day. I'd feel awful."
"And here I thought you were gonna suggest hair o' the dog, or something. You know…round two will make it all better!" Kurt laughed.
"That can certainly be arranged. Don't forget we haven't broken in the bed yet!"
"Perhaps tonight, then?" Kurt said, his voice low and seductive….but only for a split second. "But for now, I think it's time we get out of this fantabulous tub and round up whoever we can to get my stuff, and what's there of your stuff, out of my apartment and up here. Sound good?" Kurt asked.
"Sounds like a plan, babe!" Blaine replied, his smile wide and his head soaring. They were moving into their place….THEIR place…and he couldn't be happier about it.
"No, no, no. No can do. Gifts are excluded. You can say that you leave with nothing if you decide to leave, but whatever I give you, as a gift from me, either for a holiday, an anniversary or an everyday gesture, is yours to keep if you go! I'm not budging on that, Jeff. I'm not…so just move on!" Nick said, and he looked set in his ways. He wasn't going to give an inch on it. Jeff wasn't happy.
"But that just makes it all for naught! If you can give me whatever you want, then what's the point of the pre-nup? I'll have all this shit anyway!" Jeff argued.
"You will, but it's because I love you and I want to give it to you or I wouldn't, and I have to tell you…all this talk of us maybe breaking up on the day we're engaged is really draggin' me down, man!" Nick argued. "What this damn document says is that if you leave, you don't take half of what I have when we marry…you don't take any of my assets. If that's what you want, fine, whatever, I'm not happy with it, because you know I'd give it all to you right now with no questions asked, but if it's what you want, I'll give you that, but you have to give a little, too. But damn, Pretty…we're not married yet and we're arguing over what you're not leaving with." Nick pouted.
"If we don't hash this out now, we won't ever get back to it. You'll hem and haw around until it's forgotten and you won't take it seriously. This is very serious to me, Nicky….very important, more than you know, apparently. I'm not joking…please. Work with me!?" Jeff said, and he wasn't messing around.
Nick gave a long, drawn out sigh and closed his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. Jeff just sucked his bottom lip into his mouth between his teeth.
"Ok…here's what I'll give you…" Nick began. "IF you sign the papers for the theater, saying that you are now the new owner, free and clear, then you have to let me help you with the start up. You'll need to be able to pay people, and until tuition for classes starts coming in, you can't. I insist on this part, and you can't talk me out of it."
Jeff thought about that for a few minutes, while staring at Nick across the table they sat at. He watched out the windows, high up above with so much going on down below, and thought about it. Nick was right…Jeff could always take out a loan, but he wanted Nick to be a part of this, and if this is how he wanted to do that, then so be it.
"Ok, that makes sense, but when the school gets off the ground, I get to pay you that money back." Jeff countered.
"No. Just…No, Jeff…this is a joint thing with us…I mean, it's your place and I want you to have it, and God forbid I drive you insane and you want to bail on me sometime in the future, but then it's still yours…free and clear and if you're worrying about paying me back money, then …no. Just no. Next point."
"You stubborn jackass."
"Yes, you are correct. Now, next point." Nick said, straight faced, and he was trying so hard not to smile that it hurt.
"I hate you, you know it?"
"You love me, and I love you, and I want to make love to you right freakin' now, but you want to hash out bullshit terms, so let's get this shit straightened out so I can pound you into the mattress on that bed and make you scream my name, love. Next point." Nick said with a smile.
"No lavish gifts from now on. I love this…the school…the theater, I do, but…after today, no more lavish gifts like this. It's ….amazing and I can't even begin to….Nicky…I'm still so overwhelmed but, if we can't both afford it, then no."
"Ok, so what you're saying is I can't buy you anything you couldn't afford to buy me, is that correct? Starting tomorrow?" Nick asked.
"That's what I'm saying. Clearly today we're dealing with the school…the building itself…and I won't dispute you on that because holy shit, what a fucking great gift and you've already done it, but that's today…after today, if I couldn't afford to buy it for you with what's in my bank account, then you can't buy it for me. Fair?" Jeff asked. Nick rolled his eyes and then closed them and thought about it. He took a deep breath, smirked and then nodded.
"Fair. After today…." Nick grinned. "Pretty soon, you'll have a school full of talented, amazing kids and you'll be rolling in it, and this will be a moot point, so whatever. Next point…..living expenses." Nick said.
"I'm paying half of the rent, and bills and all that." Jeff said.
"No. Absolutely not. The pent is paid for. I own it, there is no rent. The people who use the office spaces downstairs pay on their lease and it pays the bank. If you want to pick up groceries on the way home or pay for dinner if we go out, fine, but the bills are mine. I'm not—"
"Nicky! Damn it…."
"Non-negotiable, Jeff. There is no way in hell I'm going to take your hard earned money and watch you struggle when it's not necessary, needed or wanted. I could pay every bill associated with this place from now until we're both dead and buried in 60 years and I wouldn't even notice it gone from my bank account. I'm not taking your money for it. No, absolutely not. Next point." Nick stated simply.
"Damn you, Nicky! Don't make me feel like a freeloader! This was the whole point of—"
"Of drawing up papers behind my back and making me sign something I don't agree with or want to sign? How many times have I said what's mine is yours, Pretty Boy. I want to marry you so bad it hurts, but you have to agree there are things that are moot points. This is another of them. I'm not arguing this with you. Next point." Nick said sternly.
Jeff sat there rigidly, his jaw clenched. He was slowly shaking his head back and forth and staring Nick down. Nick, in turn, tilted his head and gave Jeff a look that said 'don't push me', and Jeff was irritated.
"It's too one sided." Jeff stated firmly and without hesitation. Nick sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"Goooddddddddd, you are so….so god damn hard headed!" Nick exploded. "WHY in the world can't you just let me….let me fucking love you and take care of you and show you that I just want you here with me every damn day without all this fuss and bullshit! Nothing changes, Jeff. I'm paying what I'm paying with you here or not! The ONLY thing that'll be different is the food bill. If you want to take over the food, buying groceries, and pay for that, fine. But nothing else changes…water bill stays the same. Electric stays the same. I don't pay for this space….the building tenants make up the mortgage and I STILL make a killing every month. Cable…stays the same. I could go on and on, but please…don't make me, Jeff." Nick begged, looking just as strung out about this as he felt internally.
"Fine….." Jeff finally said, after thinking it over. "FINE! But when we go out, sometimes I get to pay! And when we go shopping, I get to buy YOU things, too!" Jeff said, his own voice stressed out now.
"Fine…" Nick agreed. "Next point."
"That's it…all you have to do is initial it after we add our adjusted 'terms' to the bottom. I want a copy for my lawyer and you'll get yours. I want you, Nicky….not your money or anything else. Just you." Jeff said softly, his heart in his eyes, staring at the table, feeling a little defeated, but still….he'd leave with nothing if they split, just as he came into it. It was a win, he supposed.
"Good enough….you have me. All of me…every last bit. So let's recap. In the event that we should ever split up, God forbid, and it's not going to happen anyway, so whatever, but if it should: Any gifts you give me or I give you are kept by the recipient. I'm allowed to help with start-up costs for the school and theater and they aren't to be paid back. You're allowed to pay for groceries and maybe dinner if we go out, and you can buy me things when we go shopping. Is that it?" Nick asked, frustrated, scribbling madly on the set of papers Jeff had given him.
"You forgot the part about 'after today, you can't buy me anything I can't afford to buy you with what's in my bank account." Jeff reminded him.
"Shit….Jesus. Fine!" Nick barked. "Ok, after today," Nick wrote, "I can't gift you with anything that you can't afford to buy for me with what's in your bank account / savings account. Fine. Damn it." Nick scowled at Jeff. You're such a party pooper, Jeffrey."
"You'll get over it the minute you lube up and slip inside me, Nicky….initial here, here, here, here and here…..and sign this here." Jeff said, wearing his bossy pants.
"It physically pains me to do this, and I'm so unhappy about it I want to turn you over my knees and spank you." Nick told him, still scowling.
"Nobody's stopping you." Jeff smiled. He straightened the papers then strode down the hallway to Nick's office.
"Now what?!" Nick bellowed.
"I'm making a copy for you, and faxing these to Coop to keep on file. I don't want you tearing them up and saying they're non-existent. I know how you operate, Nicky." Jeff snipped at him. Nick strode into the office behind him, impatient.
"It has to be done right now?" He growled.
"Yep, may as well finish it." Jeff chirped, happy with himself. He was no gold digger and he wouldn't have anyone saying he was. This was a weight off his mind, for sure. He made the copies, then handed one to Nick. He then pulled Coop's card from his wallet and dialed the fax number, sending the sheets through one at a time.
"Let the record show that I detest this whole agreement, Jeff, and I only signed it to make you happy." Nick grumbled.
"I know you did, baby, and I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. I just need for you to know that I'd take you with nothing, ok?"
"Jefffff…." Nick whined. "We don't need agreements and papers and documents to show all that. I know…ok? I know you'd take me with nothing at all. You've said as much. You wanted me before you knew I had two dimes to rub together, and never, in all the time I've known you, have you ever shown any signs of only sticking around for my money or what I can give you. You don't have to prove this to me!"
"To you…no. Not to you, Nicky. But I won't have your father saying I married you for your money." Jeff said softly, staring at the desk now.
"My…My father? THAT'S what this is all about? MY FATHER? Why in God's name do you give a shit what that fucker thinks, Jeff?" Nick demanded to know.
"It's done now, Nick…it's done. Ok, we don't…I can't explain it. It's just important to me, ok? I'm sorry…I don't want to make you upset, but please…it's important to me." Jeff pleaded.
"Alright….ok, whatever." Nick sighed long and loud for the umpteenth time that day.
"I'm going to go take a quick shower. I'll be waiting for you." Jeff smiled, then winked, and walked out of the office as he watched the last page of the fax slip into the tray.
Nick stood staring at the papers in his hands, feeling like he'd done something dirty. If Jeff ever left him, it would be because of something Nick had done, he was sure of it. Jeff would tire of his crazy ways, he'd say something stupid and run the boy off, he'd make some dumb mistake…or more likely, his dad would step in again from out of the shadows and run Jeff off. It wouldn't be because of something Jeff did. Now Jeff had left himself open to be without anything again. Nick thought, for a split second, that he should be glad…he should have been overjoyed about not having to have these papers drawn up himself…asking Jeff to sign something like that….it was inconceivable to him. He'd willingly give Jeff anything he had, no questions asked.
His eyes lit across the bottom of the last page that was laying in the fax tray now.
"…..gifts excluded… will be kept by recipient, no questions asked….after today, you're not allowed to give me any gift that I can't afford to buy you with what's in my bank account…." It said. "After today..." With a sly grin and a smirk, Nick picked up the phone and dialed his personal banker. While he waited for him to pick up, he sifted through the papers on his desk until he found what he was looking for, then smiled.
"Bill? Hey, it's Nicholas Duval. Yeah, hey, listen, I'm sorry to call you on a Saturday, but I have something time sensitive I have to have done…yeah, has to happen today, before midnight. Uh huh. Ok, now don't think I've lost my marbles, but I want you to take everything out of my account at First National except for a million…leave it in there to keep the account open. Everything else, I want you to transfer to another account.
"Over to Chevy Chase?" Bill asked, uncertain.
"No, actually, to a Fifth Third Bank account which is actually out of Ohio….here's the account number. You ready? Ok…" Nick said, reading off Jeff's bank account number with a devious, silly grin on his face.
"I can do that, but Nick, this is a HUGE amount of money. It'll take a couple of days, since it's Saturday and all that—"
"I know, but it has to be started today…fax me the paperwork, I'll sign off on it, whatever needs to be done, but please do it as soon as possible, before end of business today." Nick asked. "The transfer of the money has to show up as happening today, whether the money is actually there for use or not. I know it takes a few business days, but the date has to show today. That part's important."
"Nick, I think we're friends, here, right?" Bill asked.
"We are, Bill, absolutely, why?"
"I feel the need to reiterate that you're transferring millions of dollars into someone else's bank account. Do you even have access to this account? I show here it belongs to one Jeffrey Samuel Sterling. There are no co-owners of this account, Nick. The account balance, as of close of business yesterday, was $6,722. 47. You're authorizing me to transfer $12.7 million dollars and change into this account, is that correct?" Bill asked, dumbfounded.
"I am. Do you need me to come down there and do it in person?" Nick asked.
"We could skirt around that if need be…technically…but honestly, I'm not doing this without you here in person, Nick. I want to see your smiling face and know for certain that you're you… and not inebriated or high. I would greatly appreciate it if you'd head on over here to my office so we can get this started. I'm fairly certain my heart is about to thump right out of my chest." Bill laughed. Nick sighed, knowing he was leaving Jeff waiting, but it was imperative to him, now, to get it done.
"It's ok…I'll be there in…" he checked his watch, "I'll be there in about 25 minutes, ok?" Nick said.
"Great. Will you be bringing Mr. Sterling along, Nick?"
"Absolutely not. Hopefully I have a few days before he realizes what I've just done." Nick laughed. "Because when he finds out, shit's gonna hit the fan!"
"Fair enough…I'll see you in a few, Nick."
"Great, Bill. See you then." Nick said, grinning madly to himself. "…..gifts excluded… will be kept by recipient, no questions asked….after today, you're not allowed to give me any gift that I can't afford to buy you with what's in my bank account…." He read over again. "Well, Pretty Boy, it's still your birthday, and I'm allowed to give you gifts on your birthday which you are bound to keep…you signed it saying so right here….and after today, I can't give you anything you can't afford to buy with what you have in the bank. Well, now you can buy just about anything you want, you stubborn brat." He laughed to himself, striding from the office and into the bedroom.
"Nicky…you joining me?" Jeff yelled from the shower.
"Babe, something's come up, I have to run out to meet Bill at the bank real quickly and sign something…I'll be right back, ok? Wait for me, preferably naked and in bed?" Nick replied. Jeff stuck his head out the shower door and pouted.
"Everything ok?" He asked.
"Yep…making absolutely sure it will be." Nick smiled. "Be right back…don't start without me!" He said, leaning in to kiss Jeff's wet lips. "You know I love you, right? I mean, deep down, with everything I have, everything I am, anything I will ever be…I love you. You know this?"
"I…yeah…Nicky, yes. And I love you as much….more, even. Everything's ok?" Jeff asked again, brows furrowed.
"Everything's fine, just something that has to be signed and completed by close of business today and I don't want to keep him in the office later than necessary on a Saturday. I'll be back as soon as humanly possible." Nick smiled, backing out of the steamy bathroom.
"I'll be here…waiting." Jeff smirked. "Give me a kiss…just one more."
"I'd give you anything I have, Pretty Boy….anything at all." He said, smacking lips with Jeff and turning to exit the apartment with a huge grin.
A/N Thanks to Suzanne for editing...and for always being so quick about it for me :)
Probably time to reiterate that I don't own Glee or anything related to it...only my own characters in this story, and all that blah blah blah. If I did, I wouldn't be spouting out the horrendous b.s. that the spoilers are giving us. WTFE, Glee. Make it right in the end...that's all I ask. Leave our boys happy. :)
Hugs to you all, and thanks for reading and sending feedback. Every single one is a thrill to receive and reply to. I maintain that I have the very best following on here. You guys are fantastic, so thanks for everything...the support, the kind words, the laughs. You rock!