Title: Unconscious Grace
Author: Liat
Disclaimer: not mine
Note: I wrote this in, like, 20 minutes. I just wanted to get it over with cuz I keep starting new fics and getting caught up in them and forgetting about previous ones and then by the time I remember them, I've lost the.whatever it is. You know what I mean? Anyway, here ya go, last chapter. Hope you enjoyed the story!!! ~*~
Part 14:
~*~
When Ephram left his room, his dad and Bright were gone. Ephram turned to Nate and said,
"Where did they go?"
Nate shrugged,
"Your dad mumbled something about 5th Avenue."
Ephram sighed, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. He said,
"How long ago did they leave?"
Nate glanced at the door.
"Like, 2 minutes. I bet you could catch them."
Mumbling thanks, Ephram grabbed his keys from the hook by the door and left. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, Ephram took the stairs and stepped out into the street. He caught site of his dad's car parked down the street and rushed towards it. They were just getting ready to go when he banged on the window. Andy rolled the window down and said, eyes wide,
"Ephram! What are you doing out here shirtless? It's freezing!"
Ephram glanced down, surprised to see he was dressed only in mesh shorts and flip-flops he had slipped on before leaving. Shrugging, he leaned his head into the car and said to Bright,
"Bright, get out."
Frowning, Bright said,
"What?"
"Get out of the car."
Bright glanced at Andy,
"Why?"
Ephram looked at his dad and said,
"I'll.take you around. Just get out, okay?"
Andy was scowling at him as Bright climbed out and walked around the car to Ephram's side. He was watching Andy with uncertainty, but Andy waved helplessly and he drove off, Delia watching him with her head stuck out the window.
When Bright turned back around, Ephram was already halfway back to the apartment. Shaking his head, Bright hurried after him, shouting,
"Ephram! Wait up! What the fuck! What the fuck is your problem? I drove all this way with your Dad and Delia just to see you and I get here and you get all pissy and disappear! Whatever. You don't want to see me, fine. Tell me to leave. Don't let me stay here if there's gonna be all this stupid tension and animosity between you and me and you and your Dad. We're here for two weeks, so tell me now if me being here is going to be a problem, because I can't deal with this shit right now!"
Bright came to a halt when Ephram whirled around. He hadn't realized that they were inside the apartment already. Nate had, wisely, made himself scarce. If Bright hadn't known Ephram so well he would have missed the slight trembling of his shoulders and the subtle tick in his jaw. His eyes were bright and his brows were lowered. Ephram flung his arms wide and said loudly,
"What the hell do you want from me, Bright! We haven't been together for three years! Haven't spoken since I left! You just expect to come here and for everything to be fine and dandy? Well, it's not! And I'm pissed off at my Dad for thinking it was okay to bring you here and I'm pissed off at you for agreeing to come and I can't believe no one even thought of how this would affect *me*!"
Bright clenched his jaw, folded his arms.
"Well how does it affect you, Ephram?"
Ephram's arms bent and his hands gripped his hair tightly. He said,
"It's too much! I've got sensory overload! I mean, we dated for more than two years and then we broke up and all of the sudden you show up here in New York looking all happy to see me and it's like." His hands dropped to his sides. "It's like no time passed at all. It's like we're still in Everwood and we're still together and you're still the most beautiful person I know. And I can't breathe, because it's all too familiar and it could all be so perfect and so right if only."
"Those three years had never happened."
Ephram stared at Bright,
"Yes."
Bright looked down at his feet.
"But they did."
"Yes."
He looked back up at Ephram, his eyes sad and the rest of his face expressionless.
"So.what. What now."
Ephram sighed,
"I don't know. I need to think about this because.I'm gonna be honest right now." Bright nodded at him. "When you walked in yesterday and I saw you with my Dad's arm around your shoulders and him and Delia smiling expectantly at me and the suitcase in your hand.it was like.I just felt like these past three years have been such a waste of time. Like, no matter what, no matter how long we're apart, nothing's going to change. My fingers are still going to itch, want to be tangled in your hair. My lips are going to tingle, want to be kissing you. And.I'm still going to love you."
Ephram stopped, eyes averted. Bright was staring at Ephram, lips parted, hands in his pockets and clenched into fists. He said softly,
"Ephram, you can't say something like that and expect me to just stand here, not react. You can't expect me to not want to walk over there, wrap my arms around you, and pull you close and just.hold you. Forever. And then kiss you. And just.be with you. Forever."
Bright heard Ephram sniff and saw him reach up quickly and rub his cheek. Bright took a hesitant step toward Ephram. Ephram turned to the side so Bright couldn't see his eyes welling up. He bit his top lip to keep it from trembling and started wringing his hands. He said softly,
"Well, that's a problem, then. Because I don't know if I can promise forever."
Bright stopped, his jaw moving but no sound coming out. He finally said softly,
"What can you promise?"
"What do you want me to promise?"
Bright watched Ephram, still turned away.
"That you'll never leave me again. Because I'll never leave you. Never."
Ephram turned to Bright, eyes still wet. He smiled tremulously,
"I think maybe I could manage that."
Sighing, Bright closed the remaining distance between himself and Ephram, wrapping his arms around Ephram's waist. Ephram's went around Bright's neck and he squeezed tight, nuzzling Bright's temple when he buried his face in the crook of his neck. Ephram said softly, smiling when Bright breathed in deeply and moaned a little as he exhaled,
"Bright." He didn't answer. "Bright."
Bright's grunt was a muffled "Hmm."
Ephram smiled.
"Now that I think about it, I may be able to make another promise."
Bright pulled away, arms still around Ephram's waist, but holding loosely. He watched Ephram's face. Ephram said softly, standing on tiptoe, bringing his mouth close to Bright's. He whispered,
"Forever and a day." Bright grinned widely. "But no more than that."
Bright laughed softly, then pulled Ephram close again and kissed him softly. He muttered against Ephram's mouth,
"Screw the tour. We've got a lot of catching up to do. Where's the nearest bed?"
~*~END~*~
Author: Liat
Disclaimer: not mine
Note: I wrote this in, like, 20 minutes. I just wanted to get it over with cuz I keep starting new fics and getting caught up in them and forgetting about previous ones and then by the time I remember them, I've lost the.whatever it is. You know what I mean? Anyway, here ya go, last chapter. Hope you enjoyed the story!!! ~*~
Part 14:
~*~
When Ephram left his room, his dad and Bright were gone. Ephram turned to Nate and said,
"Where did they go?"
Nate shrugged,
"Your dad mumbled something about 5th Avenue."
Ephram sighed, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. He said,
"How long ago did they leave?"
Nate glanced at the door.
"Like, 2 minutes. I bet you could catch them."
Mumbling thanks, Ephram grabbed his keys from the hook by the door and left. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, Ephram took the stairs and stepped out into the street. He caught site of his dad's car parked down the street and rushed towards it. They were just getting ready to go when he banged on the window. Andy rolled the window down and said, eyes wide,
"Ephram! What are you doing out here shirtless? It's freezing!"
Ephram glanced down, surprised to see he was dressed only in mesh shorts and flip-flops he had slipped on before leaving. Shrugging, he leaned his head into the car and said to Bright,
"Bright, get out."
Frowning, Bright said,
"What?"
"Get out of the car."
Bright glanced at Andy,
"Why?"
Ephram looked at his dad and said,
"I'll.take you around. Just get out, okay?"
Andy was scowling at him as Bright climbed out and walked around the car to Ephram's side. He was watching Andy with uncertainty, but Andy waved helplessly and he drove off, Delia watching him with her head stuck out the window.
When Bright turned back around, Ephram was already halfway back to the apartment. Shaking his head, Bright hurried after him, shouting,
"Ephram! Wait up! What the fuck! What the fuck is your problem? I drove all this way with your Dad and Delia just to see you and I get here and you get all pissy and disappear! Whatever. You don't want to see me, fine. Tell me to leave. Don't let me stay here if there's gonna be all this stupid tension and animosity between you and me and you and your Dad. We're here for two weeks, so tell me now if me being here is going to be a problem, because I can't deal with this shit right now!"
Bright came to a halt when Ephram whirled around. He hadn't realized that they were inside the apartment already. Nate had, wisely, made himself scarce. If Bright hadn't known Ephram so well he would have missed the slight trembling of his shoulders and the subtle tick in his jaw. His eyes were bright and his brows were lowered. Ephram flung his arms wide and said loudly,
"What the hell do you want from me, Bright! We haven't been together for three years! Haven't spoken since I left! You just expect to come here and for everything to be fine and dandy? Well, it's not! And I'm pissed off at my Dad for thinking it was okay to bring you here and I'm pissed off at you for agreeing to come and I can't believe no one even thought of how this would affect *me*!"
Bright clenched his jaw, folded his arms.
"Well how does it affect you, Ephram?"
Ephram's arms bent and his hands gripped his hair tightly. He said,
"It's too much! I've got sensory overload! I mean, we dated for more than two years and then we broke up and all of the sudden you show up here in New York looking all happy to see me and it's like." His hands dropped to his sides. "It's like no time passed at all. It's like we're still in Everwood and we're still together and you're still the most beautiful person I know. And I can't breathe, because it's all too familiar and it could all be so perfect and so right if only."
"Those three years had never happened."
Ephram stared at Bright,
"Yes."
Bright looked down at his feet.
"But they did."
"Yes."
He looked back up at Ephram, his eyes sad and the rest of his face expressionless.
"So.what. What now."
Ephram sighed,
"I don't know. I need to think about this because.I'm gonna be honest right now." Bright nodded at him. "When you walked in yesterday and I saw you with my Dad's arm around your shoulders and him and Delia smiling expectantly at me and the suitcase in your hand.it was like.I just felt like these past three years have been such a waste of time. Like, no matter what, no matter how long we're apart, nothing's going to change. My fingers are still going to itch, want to be tangled in your hair. My lips are going to tingle, want to be kissing you. And.I'm still going to love you."
Ephram stopped, eyes averted. Bright was staring at Ephram, lips parted, hands in his pockets and clenched into fists. He said softly,
"Ephram, you can't say something like that and expect me to just stand here, not react. You can't expect me to not want to walk over there, wrap my arms around you, and pull you close and just.hold you. Forever. And then kiss you. And just.be with you. Forever."
Bright heard Ephram sniff and saw him reach up quickly and rub his cheek. Bright took a hesitant step toward Ephram. Ephram turned to the side so Bright couldn't see his eyes welling up. He bit his top lip to keep it from trembling and started wringing his hands. He said softly,
"Well, that's a problem, then. Because I don't know if I can promise forever."
Bright stopped, his jaw moving but no sound coming out. He finally said softly,
"What can you promise?"
"What do you want me to promise?"
Bright watched Ephram, still turned away.
"That you'll never leave me again. Because I'll never leave you. Never."
Ephram turned to Bright, eyes still wet. He smiled tremulously,
"I think maybe I could manage that."
Sighing, Bright closed the remaining distance between himself and Ephram, wrapping his arms around Ephram's waist. Ephram's went around Bright's neck and he squeezed tight, nuzzling Bright's temple when he buried his face in the crook of his neck. Ephram said softly, smiling when Bright breathed in deeply and moaned a little as he exhaled,
"Bright." He didn't answer. "Bright."
Bright's grunt was a muffled "Hmm."
Ephram smiled.
"Now that I think about it, I may be able to make another promise."
Bright pulled away, arms still around Ephram's waist, but holding loosely. He watched Ephram's face. Ephram said softly, standing on tiptoe, bringing his mouth close to Bright's. He whispered,
"Forever and a day." Bright grinned widely. "But no more than that."
Bright laughed softly, then pulled Ephram close again and kissed him softly. He muttered against Ephram's mouth,
"Screw the tour. We've got a lot of catching up to do. Where's the nearest bed?"
~*~END~*~