A/N: So (now please don't hurt me) this is the last full chapter of this series. An epilogue will be posted sometime tomorrow. In all actuality, I never thought I would get so much amazing feedback from this short little story, but you all have been so amazing. Your support has meant the world to me and has made writing this fic even more enjoyable than it already was! I swear, I had way too much fun writing this. I literally smiled the entire time.
I am planning on writing another Niff story in the future, but I'm not completely sure when that will be posted. In the meantime, you can find me on Tumblr at sitbackandtrynottolaugh. Leave prompts in my ask if you'd like, and I will try as best as I can to fill in all of them. Again, I love you all! Thank you so much for reading this. It means the world to me that even one person took the time to read this. :)
On another note, this chapter contains a large amount of fluff and singing. I hope you all enjoy.
xxx, Elizabeth
Stirring
By stirring, more collisions occur and the number of activated molecules increases.
Nick pulled away from the kiss after several seconds to look into Jeff's eyes. There, he found wonder and something akin to hope. But more than that, he found pure, unrevoked affection. "Hey," Nick whispered, still unbearably close to Jeff, not wanting to acknowledge the room around them.
"Hi," Jeff squeaked, blushing bright at the way his voice betrayed any sense of calm he was attempting to muster.
Nick just laughed and squeezed Jeff's hand. "I—I think we should talk about this."
Jeff nodded. The sparks he felt from just those few seconds when they're lips were connected were electrifying. He wanted more than anything to just pull Nick back in for more, but he knew that they needed to talk about where their relationship stood before further complicating it. "But not now." He motioned to everyone around them that was watching in—surprisingly—silence. "We seem to have a bit of an audience."
Nick finally broke his gaze from Jeff to look around at everyone else in the room that was now standing and pretending that they hadn't been watching. He swore he heard Trent grumbling finally under his breath. "Right, but will you at least sing with me? Looks like Blaine's trying to steal the mic again."
Jeff rolled his eyes. "Damn, he's worse than that girl Kurt's brother brought with to visit that one time."
"The one that dressed like a preschooler?"
"Yeah! But her voice was amazing."
Nick rolled his eyes, "She knew it, too."
Jeff grabbed Nick's hand as they got up and walked toward the makeshift stage that was set up to one side of the room, carefully slipping past Blaine and on to the stage. "I have a song that I think'll work."
"What is it?"
Jeff winked, "You'll see." He quickly whispered the song to Kurt who was working on setting up the machine again. The grin on the brunette's voice at the name of the song was enough to make Nick relax. Kurt wouldn't do anything to embarrass him—he hoped.
As the music began, he relaxed further, recognizing the beat, and agreeing that it was perfect for their current circumstances.
I gotta say something that I've been thinking 'bout
I can't wait to lay around with you
And tell you all the secrets I've been keeping to myself
Nick picked up the first verse, singing in that low, velvety smooth voice that made Jeff crazy. He kept his eyes fixed on the blonde as the lyrics flowed from him, realizing that he meant every word. He couldn't wait to talk to Jeff about this thing between them. Couldn't wait to spend lazy days cuddled together in the commons talking about anything and everything. Couldn't wait to just be with Jeff without all of the worry and pretense.
It's been a while since I felt butterflies
Do you feel the same way, too?
If every single second could last that much longer
Would you hold me and kiss me again?
Jeff had never felt the way he felt about Nick for anyone else. Maybe when he was younger, he would see someone attractive and get a little pang of nervous fluttering in his stomach, but with Nick it was different. With Nick, he felt with stomach constantly twisting in uncomfortable knots, and he was starting to convince himself that there were indeed several butterflies taking up residency in his chest. And all he wanted was reassurance that Nick felt the same about him. All the signs were there, but he still wanted to hear the words, wanted the guarantee that would wipe away all the what ifs that clouded his mind constantly.
Underneath the moonlight
You're more than a friend
I knew it from the first time, yeah
Hold me, feel my heartbeat
Put your arms around me and kiss me again
Kiss me again
Kurt felt his hear melting as he watched his plan unfolding before him. The look of pure adoration that marred both of the boy's faces had him in awe. He remembered a time when he was like that with Sam, and how he was starting to feel that way every time he was around Blaine. It was an amazing feeling, and he was so happy to see his friends experience it together.
I gotta say I wasn't expecting you to come this way
And fall into my arms
And now I know I can't deny these feelings any longer
As Nick sang, he circled around Jeff, playing with his hair and winking flirtatiously at him. Jeff looked so happy, and it was surreal to know that he may be the reason for the wide grin on his face.
I close my eyes, I can't stop thinkin' 'bout you
Crack a smile, I just can't lose
Add another minute
My heart beats to the limit when I'm with you
Jeff closed his eyes as he felt Nick's hand brush against his shoulder. Shivers shot up and down his spine at each touch. The lyrics summed up his feelings from the last two weeks perfectly. Every thought, every moment led up to this. And this was pretty amazing.
So, kiss me again
Underneath the moonlight
You're more than a friend
I knew it from the first time, yeah
Hold me, feel my heartbeat
Put your arms around me and kiss me again
Kiss me again
Blaine leaned in close to Kurt to whisper in his ear, "Hey, Kurt? I think our plan is being cut short."
Kurt laughed, "Nope, it's exactly where it's supposed to be."
"So what do we do now?"
"Absolutely nothing. We just sit back and watch them stir."
"And that's the last step to your genius plan?"
Kurt grinned as he turned to look back up at the pair. "Well, it's working, isn't it?" he whispered back.
I can't let you go, can't let you float away
'Cause that would be a mistake
I'm not ready to run
Can't let you to waste
No, no, no, no
Nick made his way back to the center of the stage and slowly walked toward Jeff. He set his mic back in the stand before grabbing Jeff's hand in his own and cupping his jaw with the other. Jeff felt the shivers shooting through him, just like every other time they touched.
And kiss me again
Underneath the moonlight
You're more than a friend
I knew it from the first time, yeah
Hold me, feel my heartbeat
Put your arms around me
Hold me, feel my heartbeat
And put your arms around me and kiss me again
And again, and again
Oh, kiss me again
Jeff could barely whisper the last words of the song before Nick was pulling him in closer and pressing their lips together. This kiss was different from the first one—more urgent, less confused. Their mouths fit together perfectly, and suddenly it all just made sense. This was right. This was exactly what was meant to happen.
Jeff pulled away first, locking into Nick's deep brown eyes. He noticed the little golden flecks in the for the first time, and Jeff couldn't help but wonder what else he would notice after being this close to Nick for a while.
Nick broke the silence first, "W-we should talk now probably."
"Tr-Trent'll probably be in my room later with Thad. I was gonna stay with Kurt tonight."
"I'll talk to Blaine. He probably won't mind you staying with us if you want to."
Jeff giggled, "No, he probably won't. Either that or he'll end up with Kurt—I think they have more talking to do anyways." He motioned over to the pair who now had their eyes locked on each other.
Nick sighed, "Should I go stop him? He likes kissing a little too much when he's drunk."
"Nah, he's Kurt's problem tonight. Let's get out of here." Jeff grabbed Nick's hand and led him toward the door.
Nick could feel his heartbeat increasing rapidly as he walked down the hall, hand clasped tightly in Jeff's. The trip to his room was even shorter than he remembered and soon they were stepping inside, closing the door behind them.
"So," Jeff said as he stood by the door, not sure if sitting on the bed was okay. In retrospect, this was ridiculous since he'd already fallen asleep in said bed before, and would probably end up spending the night in this room.
Nick walked over to the bed and sat down, expecting Jeff to follow. When he didn't, the brunette rolled his eyes, "Six, come here. You don't have to stand all night."
The blonde flushed red, but slowly made his way over to the bed. When he sat down, he turned to look at Nick. "So, we should talk about things."
"I—I really don't have much to say, Six."
Jeff frowned, "What do you mean? We just kissed. Twice. Shouldn't we at least figure out what's going on between us?"
"What's going on between us is I like you," the brunette said simply. "And I have a feeling—correct me if I'm wrong—that you like me, too."
"Oh." And Jeff realized that it really was that simple. There really wasn't much to talk about.
"So, really, I only have one question."
"And that would be?" Jeff looked up with hopeful eyes.
Nick smiled and took Jeff's hand in his own, reassuringly. "Jeffrey Sterling, would you consider being my boyfriend?"
Jeff grinned, "Nope."
"W-what?"
"You asked if I would consider it. I said no." Jeff was nearly falling over from the laughter he was trying to contain.
"But—I thought—what?" Nick's eyes were wide, pleading with Jeff's.
Jeff grinned and squeezed the worried brunette's hand. "Hey, I said I wouldn't consider it. That's because I've been considering it for weeks already. I'm done with considering."
"Oh," Nick breathed. He thought he knew where this was going now.
"I don't want to consider anything anymore. I want to be your boyfriend, Three. No more thinking about it, worrying about if we both feel the same."
"I—I—okay."
Jeff leaned in for one more kiss, this one completely different from all the rest. All the confusion and hesitance and urgency was gone. This was filled with promise—a mutual understanding that this was something they wanted, something that wouldn't end any time soon.
Jeff pulled away this time with a smile on his face. Nick had just yawned, and it was probably one of the cutest things he'd ever seen. What could he say? The honeymoon phase just started. "Three? A little tired there?"
Nick shook his head, but another yawn came out, defeating his effort.
Jeff just smiled wider, "It's okay. It's been a long day. Want me to leave?"
Nick's eyes widened, "N-no. I mean, if you want to, but you don't have to. I was hoping you'd stay, but if that's weird, you don't have to and I just realized I'm kind of rambling, but I don't really want you to go—and, I'll shut up now."
"Nicky, it's okay. I'll stay. I just wasn't sure if that'd be weird. I really didn't want to go back down to that party anyways."
"Jeffy, if it was weird, you wouldn't have fallen asleep with me earlier this week," Nick pointed out.
Jeff laughed, "Yeah, okay. But cuddles are mandatory."
"Agreed," Nick said with a laugh as he pulled back the covers, not bothering to change his clothes first. It had been a long day, and all he wanted now was to fall asleep with Jeff next to him.
Jeff toed off his shoes then climbed onto the bed next to the small brunette, almost instantly feeling Nick's arms wrap around him and pull him close until his back was pressed up against Nick's chest. Jeff's heart fluttered at the warmth, and he fell asleep easily to the sound of the brunette's breathing.
Jeff woke the next day to the sound of a guitar being strummed. He opened his eyes to see the room was lit up from the early morning sun, and Nick was sitting on the end of the bed fiddling with his acoustic.
Eventually, an actual tune picked up, and Jeff smiled widely when he recognized what it was.
The dawn is breaking
A light, shining through
You're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you
The song described exactly what Nick had woken up to no more than ten minutes earlier. The sun had been streaming through the windows and he was just barely awake, with his arms wrapped firmly around the blonde boy that he could now call his boyfriend.
I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face light up again
These words, Nick realized, applied as well. When they had been on the trip to the campsite, Jeff had seemed so sad. He just wanted to hold him and make him smile again because when Jeff smiled, it lit up the entire room. There was no denying it. But when Jeff was sad, Nick felt as if all the happiness was sucked out of him as well.
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find you and I collide
Jeff lay still as he watched Nick strum his guitar. It was the first time he could fully appreciate Nick's voice without all the distractions of the outside world. He didn't want to ruin it by startling the brunette. It was hard, though, because Nick had this faraway look in his eyes, and Jeff wanted desperately to know what he was thinking.
I'm quiet, you know
You make a first impression
I found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind
The blonde could definitely relate to those words. He never thought Nick would notice him because he wasn't one of those people that just walk up to someone and can start talking to them like it's no big deal. He'd been very closed-off for most of him life, and sometimes he found he didn't even know how to open up to people. This whole relationship that was beginning with Nick was honestly scaring the living hell out of him, but he trusted Nick, so he allowed himself to fall despite all of his worries.
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back, you fall in time
I somehow find you and I collide
Nick noticed Jeff smiling up at him from where he still lay in bed, and he grinned back. He finished up the chorus then set the guitar down on the floor. "Good morning, Six."
"Morning, Three," Jeff mumbled, his voice still thick from sleep. "I liked the song."
Nick smiled and motioned for Jeff to come sit by him. "Me too."
Jeff crawled to the foot of the bed and relaxed into Nick's chest as strong arms wrapped around him. The feeling was already becoming familiar, and Jeff was scared of how fast everything was happening, but he wouldn't have tried to stop it even if he could. "Hey, Nicky?"
"Yeah?" Nick asked as he brushed a piece of hair out of Jeff's eyes.
"I need you to promise something."
"And what's that?"
"That you'll catch me, because I'm already falling."
Nick smiled and tightened his hold on the blonde that was relaxed against him and kissed the top of his head—marveling in the fact that he could actually do that now. "As long as you'll do the same for me."
Blaine was walking back to his room, and had the door half open when he saw that Nick wasn't alone inside. He spotted the lanky blonde cuddled up next to him, and he had to go tell Kurt.
He ran back to the room he had just left, breathing heavily as he banged on the door. "Kurt! Open up! Now!"
"What do you want, Blaine? It's too early to be so loud," Kurt grumped as he walked to the door. He was nursing a hangover, and the loud noises were still hurting his head.
"Kurt!" Blaine swung the door open when he decided the other boy was taking too long. "Nick and Jeff. Jeff and Nick. My room. Cuddling. Singing. Talking. In bed. And I just. I can't interrupt. But it worked. Our—your plan worked!"
Kurt grinned and pushed Blaine out of the way so he could run down the hallway. "Really? I need to see this!"
Blaine rolled his eyes but ran to follow him. They came to a halt right at the door to Blaine and Nick's room. The door was still open from when Blaine had left, but now the boys were easily in view from where Kurt and Blaine stood in the doorway.
"That you'll catch me, because I'm already falling."
"As long as you'll do the same for me."
Kurt looked wide-eyed at Blaine, trying with all he had in him to keep his squealing to himself. But that was just the cutest thing he had ever heard, so the squeal made its way out anyways.
Nick and Jeff jumped apart at the high-pitched noise and looked at each other in confusion. Kurt slowly walked into the room with his hands up in admission. "Yes, that was me. Sorry if I completely ruined the moment, but, seriously guys? If you aren't together by the end of the day, I will hit you both over the head with my chemistry book. Hard."
Jeff grinned at Kurt. "I guess that won't be necessary, then."
Nick laughed and wrapped his arm back around Jeff. "Yeah, I asked out Six yesterday."
"Six?" Kurt asked in confusion.
"It's a long story," Jeff said, rolling his eyes. "Short version: I'm six, Nicky's three."
"O-okay," Kurt said, still seemingly confused.
Blaine walked into the room then, smiling fondly at the pair. "I don't get it either, but Kurt? Did you hear them?"
"Yes, Blaine. Nick just said he asked Jeff ou—OH MY GOD. Nick asked Jeff out! My plan! It worked!"
Jeff laughed, "Yeah, I guess it did."
Nick cocked his head in confusion, "What plan?"
Blaine smirked, "It's kind of a long story. But once I'm done, I think we can all check studying for the chemistry test on Monday off of our lists."
Kurt smiled, "So I got Nick and Jeff together, and I'll have Jeff passing Chemistry this quarter. Damn, I am good."
Kiss Me Again- We Are The In Crowd ft. Alex Gaskarth [ Nick Jeff both ]
Collide- Howie Day [ Nick ]
Next Chapter: Reaction