Disclaimer: Based on real events, but some things are made up to help the story. Slight AU. Goes in a different direction.

Chapter 27 - February 24th, 2017

"I'm holding on. Why is everything so heavy? Holding on to so much more than I can carry. I keep dragging around what's bringing me down. If I just let go, I'd be set free." - Excerpt from Heavy, Linkin Park ft. Kiiara

Miley opened her eyes, feeling warm arms wrapped around her.

Her first thought was: Liam, you're so sweet. Her second thought was the complete opposite. It went something along the lines of WHAT?!

Miley felt her heart race as she recognized her surroundings. No, no, no. She glanced up to see Nick Freaking Jonas with his arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace. Crap. How the hell had she fallen asleep at Nick's place? And he was such a gentleman taking off her shoes, which were somewhere in the room. He had taken off her sweater and left her in a white t-shirt and jeans.

It wasn't that comfortable in jeans, but that was alright.

She had freaking slept with Nick Jonas. NO. Not in that version. This had been perfectly innocent... But hell, how had she fallen asleep? Nick shifted a little in his sleep, but his arms remained wrapped around her. Miley also realized that he was wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. His muscles were extremely defined in his shirt, and she could feel the strength of his arms.

Miley said something like, "Ugghhhhhhhhhhh."

"Breathe, Mi, breathe."

Miley nearly leapt out of her skin. "Nick, you scared me to death!"

He chuckled, and she caught a glimpse of deep brown for eyes. "I just woke up. I heard your heart racing." Did she seriously need another reminder about how close they were? "So breathe. We wouldn't want you to hyperventilate." How could he not be freaking out? "Shh, Miley, your heart rate is not slowing." A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "If anything, it's quickening."

"I didn't realize you were Master of Obvious."

He chuckled. "Am I having such an effect on you?" he teased.

Yes. But she couldn't say that. "No," she said grumpily. "I'm kind of just thinking about how much trouble I'm going to be in."

Nick's teasing mood dropped all at once, and sadness sparkled on his features though he did his best to hide it. "Oh." His disappointment was evident, and Miley frowned, knowing how much he wished that it had been real, intentional. Not just something that had happened by accident. Miley watched him carefully, and Nick smiled at her weakly. It was fake. Miley always hated it when people did that.

But not with Nick. He had best intentions at heart. He felt like he was protecting her.

"So, are you hungry?" he asked with a smile. "I could cook something..." He trailed off awkwardly.

Miley laughed. "As if I'm letting you in the kitchen!"

"It's my kitchen," Nick protested.

Miley shook her head absentmindedly as a fresh memory spun through her mind. Then, she realized that they were still in bed. Together. With barely an inch between them. Miley hastily eased herself off the bed, shuffling carefully around the room. Then, her gaze landed on her sweater, which was neatly folded. How utterly chivalrous. How utterly Nick.

Nick ran a hand through his curls. "I'll just change outside," he mumbled as he grabbed some clothes from his closet.

Miley smiled and pulled on her t-shirt. She pulled on her shoes and quickly gave her appearance a brief appraisal. Satisfied, Miley waltzed out the door and headed to the bathroom. She smiled as she saw a little toothbrush with a small handwritten note attached: Dream, dream, dream. Miley grinned at the reference to her song Dream. Then, she picked up the toothbrush.

After brushing her teeth, Miley finished up in the bathroom and headed into Nick's kitchen. She found a pan and placed it on the stove. She set the burner and put some oil into the pan. Then, she opened his ginormous refrigerator and picked out some eggs before cracking them open and letting them drip into the pan. They sizzled as they cooked, and Miley found some bacon.

She wouldn't be eating that (vegan), but if she remembered correctly, Nick always loved bacon.

Miley wasn't sure how much Nick ate, so she dumped every strip of bacon into the pan. Miley set the table while simultaneously made sure the food didn't burn. She made some pancakes—from scratch—too, and some toast. When she finished cooking the food, she placed it on places and searched his cupboards for maple syrup. She got a few glasses and filled them with milk and orange juice.

"Something smells good in here."

Miley turned to see Nick, cleanly shaven and well-dressed, in all his glory. She smiled at him, the smile relaxing on her face. He headed towards her and took a seat, grinning. "It better," Miley joked, "since I spent the better part of the morning slaving away to make this."

Nick grinned. "By 'better part of the morning,' I'll assume you mean, like, ten minutes."

Miley stuck her tongue out at him. "It was more than ten minutes."

"Fine, eleven," Nick said, raising his hands in defeat. Miley crossed her arms. Miley got some toast and took a bite of it. Nick raised a brow at her before grabbing some pancakes. He slathered them with maple syrup before cutting them into fours. He picked up a fork and began to eat the first pancake. He scooped some eggs and bacon into his plate, too. Syrup leaked onto some of the bacon. Nick still ate it. Gross.

Miley pushed her plate of toast away. "And there goes my appetite."

Nick turned to her with a rueful grin. "You're already paper thin—why do you insist on starving yourself?"

Miley rolled her eyes. "It's your fault for ruining my appetite." She made a face. "Who eats bacon with maple syrup? It's unnatural." Nick grinned. Then, as if to prove a point, he slathered a second strip of bacon with maple syrup. Then, he picked up a forkful and ate it. Miley made a face as Nick chewed with a smile on his face. "That's gross, Nick! Who does that?!"

Nick swallowed, shooting her a lopsided grin. "You're looking at him." His gaze turned thoughtful. "Though I'm sure Joe would be game."

"Ugh!" Miley groaned, shaking her head. Suddenly, there was a vicious knock of the door. Miley shot Nick a confused look, and he only shrugged back before digging into his breakfast. Miley frowned and stood up, heading towards the door. The knocking had turned to obvious pounding, and Miley grimaced. Was Nick expecting anyone? No, he wasn't sure who it was. Miley opened the door—

"Demi?!"

Demi stormed in. Then, a look of surprise flashed on her face. "Miley?"

"What're you doing here?!" both girls said simultaneously.

Miley watched as Demi stormed through the house into the kitchen. Miley followed meekly. Demi sat down in a chair, grabbed a plate, and scraped some pancakes and bacon on her plate. Then, she scooped up some eggs, too. Hesitantly, Miley took a seat. She exchanged a worried look with Nick before turning back to her Demi, whose face was like thunder.

Demi stabbed a pancake with a fork.

"Woah, Dems, what did the pancake ever do to you?" Miley said, slightly alarmed.

Demi stopped mid-bite. Then, she chewed furiously and swallowed. She grabbed a glass of milk and drank thirstily from it. Then, Demi sighed. "Damn it, Miley. You have no idea how much trouble you're in." Miley's stomach plummeted to her toes. Oh. This. "Liam called me like a million times to see if I knew where you were, but I didn't." There went that excuse. "And then, he was this close to calling the police, but I said—"

"—wait," Nick interrupted. "Why would Liam call you in the first place?"

Demi shot a deathly glare at Miley and Nick. "Guess who happened to turn off their phone?" Her accusing glare landed on Miley.

Miley frowned before pulling her phone out of her pocket. It wasn't off, it was—oh. Silent. "My phone wasn't off," Miley defended. "It was just on silent..."

"Same difference!" Demi thundered. Then, Demi balked. "What were you doing at—oh my god."

"We didn't do anything," Miley said uncomfortably. "I was just hanging out at his place, and it was getting late, I guess, so we fell asleep..." Demi expression ranged from rage to shock to something Miley didn't even recognize—something she was sure she would never want to recognize ever again. "And... that's why I'm here," Miley said, trying to shake off her flustered expression.

"And you didn't think to call Liam?" Demi said icily. "Or me?"

"She was a bit preoccupied," Nick defended, and Miley felt a wave of gratitude wash through her. "So of course she wouldn't be thinking rationally." Nick shot Miley an apologetic look, but Miley brushed it off with a slight smile. Demi spluttered, but Nick continued to speak. "Demi, think back and picture yourself in Miley's position. And tell the truth—how would you deal with it?"

Demi sighed. "Sorry. I just—I was worried. And so was Liam." Then, Demi glared accusingly again. "And why didn't you tell me Noah was around?"

Miley blushed. "It didn't come up?"

Demi smacked her on the arm. "I want to meet your little sister!"

"Wait..." Nick's dark gaze narrowed as he met Miley's eyes. "Noah's here?" A smile broke out on Miley's face as she nodded. It didn't take much for Miley to smile, it sort of came automatically to her—especially when her younger sister Noah was involved. A smile tugged at Nick's lips. "That's awesome!" Nick exclaimed happily, and Miley felt herself smiling so wide she was sure her mouth was stuck that way.

"She's having a concert around here," Miley said eagerly. "She wanted me to open up for her, so I said yes." Miley felt a smile spread across her face. At the rate she was going, she would never be able to stop smiling. Miley tried to tone down her excitement but failed. "I was going to spend the day with her tomorrow... but I suppose you guys can tag along."

Nick grinned. "Nah, you guys can do your thing."

Demi nodded eagerly. "After that day, you can bring her over to my place."

"That sounds awesome," Miley said, beaming. Then, Miley remembered herself. "Well, I'd better call Liam—so he won't worry."

Demi flashed her a warm smile. "You go do that. Take all the time you need."

Miley smiled gratefully at Demi before exiting the room.

Still In Love Somehow

"I still can't believe you slept with Miley."

Nick blushed. "I didn't sleep with her. Not in that sense. It was perfectly innocent."

Demi smiled. "Did you guys kiss?"

Nick paused. He had stopped them from doing any kissing. Nick wasn't sure if he regretted it or not... but he wouldn't want Miley to kiss him and then regret it immediately. No, he had definitely made the right choice... But Nick remembered the hope and nervousness in her eyes—the exact same look she had in her eyes when he had first kissed her.

He remembered being so nervous on the whole thing before finally mustering up the courage to lean forward and lightly press his lips against hers. She had, much to his delight, responded. Her mouth had tasted so sweet and pure with his, and though the kiss didn't last long, it was sweet and flawless and incredible. Nick remembered all of his fear slipping away.

Nick remembered he was still with Demi. "No, we didn't," he admitted.

Demi pursed her lips. "Why not? You've got the green light, lover boy."

Nick blushed again. "It's not time yet."

"Then when?" Demi demanded. "When will it be time? When Miley's married to Liam, and you're left in the dust?"

"Of course not, don't be ludicrous," Nick scoffed. He tilted his head as he shoveled some egg into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before sighing. "I don't know... She... she—I feel like she wanted me to kiss her... but I..." Nick took a deep breath, trying to ignore the regret pooling in his stomach. "I told her no." Demi's jaw dropped. "I told her no," he repeated in a soft murmur.

"YOU REJECTED THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?!"

"Demi, could you keep it down?" Nick hissed. "She's just in the other room."

Demi rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Oh please. Miley already knows what we're talking about, so there's no point in pretending. But oh my God... Nick, why would you do something like that? Unless..." Demi's eyes narrowed like they did when she was thinking. "Unless you have ulterior motives? Unless you want to hold off the kiss to tempt her a bit more until she breaks—"

"No, of course not," Nick hissed. "I wouldn't do that to her—I just..."

Demi shook her head. "No, of course you wouldn't. You're a good guy—you and your brother..."

Nick closed his eyes for a brief heartbeat, trying to shake the image of Miley out of his head, but he remained unsuccessful. There she was, in his mind's eye, glowing and shining and burning like the shooting star she was. She looked so determined and confident and so sure of herself. He felt so proud of her, even if it was just an image. He had seen her like that in real life.

He loved that look on her face.

Nick turned towards Demi. "What would you do? If you were in this kind of situation."

Demi paused, gaze thoughtful. Then, she grumbled sullenly, "I hate it when you're right."

Nick smiled softly before drinking some orange juice. Then, he leaned forward and gave Demi a little one-armed hug. "I wasn't going to rub it in your face," he reassured her, and Demi smiled, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Nick grinned. "Miley's a really good cook, you know? She used to really suck at it," he added ruefully, feeling memories pour through him.

Demi laughed. "At least it was edible. And if that counts as 'sucking,' what's yours? Thrown out in the trash at first glance?"

Nick stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm a guy."

"That's not an excuse."

"Eh, I'll leave the cooking to Mi," Nick said with a shrug. "Why bother when you already have someone who can cook something delicious? Of course"—Nick smirked—"when it comes to bacon, it's pretty much edible whatever you do." He shook his head sympathetically. "Too bad Miley's a vegan—I mean, that's great—but then she doesn't eat stuff like bacon."

Demi stuck her tongue out. "Stop saying 'bacon.' It might be the name of your song, but that doesn't mean you can abuse the word."

He huffed. "I'm very sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't."

Nick ran a hand through his curls. "Demi..?"

"I know what you're thinking," Demi said seriously. "And Nick, don't do another elaborate scheme that'll scare Miley away. Give her something simple... though I'm probably not the best person to give advice to you." Demi shrugged, her eyes dark and revealing nothing. "Miley is Miley, and I think you'd have a very good chance with her if you did it right."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "What's your definition of 'right'?"

"Don't screw it up."

QotD: What is the most inspirational song you've ever heard?

#The Climb by MC (even after all these years)

A/N: Hey, it's Darky! I did not like writing this chapter AT ALL, but I pushed myself to write, and this is the outcome. I wanted to add some Noah Cyrus in this, but... that wouldn't have worked out. But don't worry! I'll have all the sisterly fluff saved for the next chapter! And why, oh why, didn't I include some Jemi? Yeah, well, I'll have to remind myself to do that.

Also, guess who's listening to 'The Climb' while writing this? #ThisGurl

Fun fact: When I say 'I don't care' to people, I actually do care, just not enough to do anything about it. If they want me to change, I will care about their verdict, just not enough to change myself. Capisci? Also, I don't understand why people have to judge people all the time. Is it because you want to make yourself feel better about yourself? If it doesn't affect your personal life, then why bother?

Review your answer to the QotD! Tell me your thoughts? I appreciate it though you don't need to. But who doesn't love reviews? ;)

- Darky