Gravity Part Two
Part One
-
“Nick,” Kevin said sharply, and Nick looked up from his guitar.
“What?”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Kevin said. “It’s been two weeks since Joe left. Have you done anything productive since then?”
Nick set the guitar down and crossed his arms. “Yes.”
Kevin shook his head. “No, you’ve been holed up in your room, sulking and playing guitar. You’re acting like a girl in some stupid movie.”
Nick glared, though he knew Kevin was right. “I am not.”
“Yeah, you are. And if you keep it up, Mom and Dad are gonna start asking questions. They probably think you broke up with your secret girlfriend or something.” Kevin’s expression softened. “I know you lost your best friend, Nicky, but you can’t just sit in here and mope forever.”
“I can too.”
“Nicholas Jerry.”
“Paul Kevin,” Nick shot back.
Kevin rolled his eyes. “Nick-”
“I know, you’re right,” Nick mumbled.
“I’m sorry, did you just admit that I was right?”
Nick cracked a smile. “Yeah yeah, don’t get used to it. I just. I miss him.”
Kevin sat beside Nick on his bed. “I know you do. But seriously Nick, just sitting in here isn’t going to make anything better. A bunch of us are going bowling tonight, and I actually came in here to ask if you wanted to come. Get out of the house.”
“And be the tagalong little brother? No thanks, Kev,” Nick answered.
“Okay, well, tomorrow we’ll do something, just you and me.”
Nick smirked. “And Danielle via your phone.” Kevin shrugged but didn’t deny it. “Yeah, sounds good.”
“Well, I’m gonna head out now. So I’ll see you later, okay?” Kevin asked, standing up.
“Yeah. Have fun. Be safe. Don’t drink and drive.”
“When have I ever done that?” Kevin asked.
Nick shrugged. “There’s a first time for everything.”
Kevin chuckled. “I actually want to win at bowling, drinking would be counterproductive.”
Nick nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and you’ll need all the help you can get. Ow,” he added plaintively as Kevin leaned down punched him in the shoulder.
“You deserved it,” Kevin retorted.
-
On Tuesday evening, Nick sat outside on the back porch steps with his guitar. He’d been out there for about twenty minutes, trying to write a song, when someone leaned against the porch railing, casting a shadow over Nick and his notebook. Assuming it was Kevin, Nick didn’t look up from the scribbled notes in front of him. “What do you want?” Nick asked. “I’m kind of busy.”
“Oh, well in that case I’ll come back later.”
Nick whipped his head up and stared in disbelief. “Joe?”
Joe grinned down at him, wearing the jeans and v-neck Nick had last seen him in. “The one and only.”
“What…how?”
“Well,” Joe said, shrugging, “Earth is only a little beyond Mars and I go there all the time, so I decided there was no point in sitting around missing you when I could just as easily come back and visit.”
Nick sat there, just staring at Joe, for a moment more before he leaped to his feet and embraced Joe tightly. “God, Joe, I missed you.”
Joe hugged back. “I missed you too, Nicky. So much.”. He pulled away slowly and added, “I was afraid that maybe you wouldn’t have missed me.”
“Why wouldn’t I have missed you?” Nick asked. “I told you, you’re my best friend.”
Joe shuffled his feet. “I thought maybe you would have changed your mind after I kissed you.”
Nick stared incredulously before he hauled Joe in by the back of the neck, hands tangling in Joe’s long hair, and kissed him hard. Joe stiffened for a moment in surprise before he relaxed into the kiss and brought his hands up to settle at Nick’s waist. This kiss was just as innocent as their first, only lips moving against lips. Nick debated with himself for a moment before deciding to change that, and carefully nudged his tongue against Joe’s lower lip. Joe immediately opened for him, his grip on Nick’s hipbones tightening.
Nick couldn’t describe the kiss as anything other than sweet, even as the intensity increased, because as his tongue explored the ridges of Joe’s teeth, swept over the smoothness of his cheek, pushed playfully against Joe’s tongue, he was nearly overwhelmed by the saccharine taste of Joe’s mouth. He wondered whether it was an effect of all the sugary food Joe consumed, or if he was just naturally like that. Either way, it only served to reiterate in Nick’s mind that this was absolutely Joe he was kissing.
“Um. Wow,” Joe said when the kiss ended.
“Yeah,” Nick mumbled, blushing. “I definitely don’t have a problem with you kissing me.”
Joe beamed at him before he nodded to the guitar and notebook lying abandoned on the ground. “So what were you doing before I interrupted?”
Nick shrugged. “Just messing around with writing a song, nothing important. Where’s your ship?” he asked, the thought suddenly coming to him.
“I landed it in that same clearing,” Joe explained. “No one saw it there before, so I thought it’d be safe.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah, that’s probably the best place for it. Do you want to go inside? Um…my parents are home, but you can probably avoid them if you rush right up to my room.”
Joe nodded. “Sure, sounds good.”
Nick gathered up his things and then opened the back door. A second later, Nick felt Joe brush past him as he ran inside. Nick followed at a more reasonable, human pace, pausing only to answer Denise’s query of “Is that you, Nick?” with a “Yes, Mom!”
When Nick got to the top of the stairs, he found Joe waiting beside the door to his room. “You could have gone in, you know,” Nick said as he pushed open the door and held it.
“I know,” Joe answered, stepping over the threshold, “but I didn’t want your parents to hear the door opening and wonder how it was opening by itself.”
Nick shrugged. “Well, Kevin’s in his room so if they even heard it they probably would have assumed it was him.”
“Oh, he is? Should we tell him I’m here?” Joe asked.
“Probably.” Nick gestured for Joe to come out into the hallway and pulled the door he still held halfway closed. He moved down the hall, Joe following, and barged into Kevin’s room without knocking. “Kevin, guess who stopped by?”
Kevin looked up from his laptop and frowned. “Haven’t you heard of knocking? I’m talking to Dani.” Joe peeked over Nick’s shoulder and waved, and Kevin mouthed a silent oh. “Dani, I’m gonna have to go,” he said, returning his attention to the laptop.
“It’s okay, Kev,” came Danielle’s voice from the speakers. “We can talk later. Love you.”
“Love you too,” Kevin replied, blushing, before he closed his laptop.
“Aww,” Nick teased gently.
“Shut up,” Kevin mumbled. He cleared his throat and smiled at Joe. “Hey, welcome back.”
“Hi,” Joe answered.
“Joe figured out that he’s close enough to come visit,” Nick explained.
Kevin grinned. “That’s great. It’s good to see you again. And I’m sure Nick’s happy too.”
This time, Nick was the one to blush and mumble “Shut up.” But he shot a shy smile to Joe, who smiled back. “Joe just wanted to say hi,” Nick continued, “So we’re gonna go back to my room.”
“Have fun,” Kevin replied. “Be careful; Mom and Dad are right downstairs.”
Nick nodded. “I know.” He led the way out of Kevin’s room and back down the hall into his own.
“Have a seat,” Nick said, gesturing to his bed. “Um, do you want to watch a movie?”
Joe shrugged. “Sure, if you want to.”
Nick moved towards his DVD shelf before pausing. “Do you know what a movie is?” he wondered.
Joe laughed. “Not really. We probably have them too, I just don't know the word.”
Nick considered the titles in front of him before he finally chose Lilo and Stitch, snickering a little at the subject matter. “Here, this one is really for kids but it’s cute...and it’s about aliens,” Nick explained, smirking.
Joe rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Aliens, awesome. I love aliens.”
“Me too,” Nick replied. He met Joe’s eyes and they both blushed and looked away. “Anyway,” Nick said, as he finished putting the disc in the player, “it’s a cute movie and it’s something to do.” He joined Joe on the bed and pressed play on the remote.
Joe watched with interest as the previews started to play on the TV screen. “We have something like this,” he murmured. “What did you say this was called?”
“A movie.”
“Ah.” Joe fell silent and watched as the opening scene came onto the screen. Even as he appeared completely entranced by the cartoon, he slid his hand across the bed to Nick’s and laced their fingers. Nick glanced over at him and smiled. Joe smiled back before returning his attention to the screen.
-
By the time the end credits rolled, Nick and Joe had shifted so that Joe was leaning back on pillows propped against the headboard, and Nick was leaning back on Joe’s chest. Joe’s arms were wrapped around Nick’s waist, and Nick’s hands rested on Joe’s.
“Are you sleeping?” Joe questioned softly.
“Mmm,” Nick mumbled. “Not quite.” He reached for the abandoned remote and hit the power on the DVD player, leaving the two of them sitting in the glow of the blue screen on TV. “So what did you think of the movie?”
“It was cute,” Joe replied. “Just like you said. I liked it.”
“Good, I'm glad.” Nick yawned and stretched as best he could without disturbing Joe. “So what do you want to do now?”
Joe shrugged, the motion jostling Nick’s head and making his curls bounce. “I don't care,” he said. “I'm happy just laying here with you.”
Nick blushed and tilted his head up to plant a kiss on the underside of Joe’s jaw. “Me too,” he murmured.
“Nick,” Joe began, “I was wondering, um…we…are we…what are we?”
“I...I don’t know,” Nick said. “What do you want us to be?”
“Together,” Joe admitted softly.
Nick chuckled. “Talk about a long distance relationship.”
“I know, it’s-”
“But I'd like that,” Nick interrupted.
A grin spread slowly across Joe’s face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Nick confirmed.
Joe leaned down and pressed his mouth to Nick’s.
He pulled back after only a second, clearly intending to keep the kiss short and innocent, but Nick had other ideas. He reached up and pulled Joe back down, kissing him hard. He turned in Joe's hold and swung one leg over Joe’s, settling in his lap and straddling his thighs.
“I missed you,” Nick murmured against Joe’s mouth when the kiss ended. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” Joe replied.
“Sleep with me tonight?” Nick asked. “I mean just sleep,” he clarified quickly. “It’s just…really nice laying here with you and I don't want you to go.”
Joe giggled. “You’re adorable, you know that? I’m not even leaving to go home for a few days at least.”
Nick shrugged and rested his head on Joe’s shoulder. “I don't care. I don't want you to go.”
Joe tilted his head to rest on Nick’s. “If you want me to stay tonight, Nicky, then I will.”
“Good,” Nick replied. “Because I do.”
“Then I will,” Joe said with finality.
Nick nuzzled into Joe’s neck. “I missed you,” he said again, smiling when he felt Joe shiver at the sensation of Nick’s lips against his skin.
Joe tightened his arms around Nick, hugging him instead of just holding him. “I won't be gone so long again. I promise.”
Nick hugged back before gently disentangling from Joe. “I have to go downstairs for a little while so that my parents won’t get too suspicious or worried. Can you wait in here? You can entertain yourself with whatever you find. I’ll be back up in an hour, maybe sooner.”
“Sure, Nick,” Joe agreed. “I’ll be okay up here.”
“I'll be back soon,” Nick promised, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He went downstairs and joined his parents and Kevin in the living room where they were watching something on TV. Nick flopped on the couch next to Kevin and tried to pay attention to the show.
He’d been there maybe five minutes, long enough to answer a few questions about his day to his parents, when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Nick pulled it out and read the text, from Kevin.
where’s Joe?
Nick glanced at Kevin, still typing away on his phone, undoubtedly texting Danielle. my room. i had to come down so mom and dad wouldn’t ask questions.
Nick's phone vibrated again, this time only bringing with it a ;). Nick frowned in confusion. Was that supposed to have gone to Danielle?
A second later Nick understood as Kevin turned to him seemingly out of the blue and said, “Hey, Nick, are you feeling okay?”
Nick tried to make himself look sick as he answered, “I dunno, why?”
“You don't look like you feel very well, that’s all.”
By now Denise and Kevin Sr. were looking on in concern. “Are you sick, sweetheart?” Denise asked, and Nick hoped he looked pathetic enough to fool her.
“I guess, I don’t feel that great. I sort of have a headache,” he lied. “Actually, I think I’m going to head up to bed early.”
“Okay, feel better son,” Kevin said.
Nick nodded and slowly left the living room and went back to his bedroom. As he climbed the stairs, he texted Kevin once more: thank u.
Nick opened his bedroom door and just barely noticed the clothes hanging in his closet settling back into place as Joe hid amongst them. He chuckled as he closed the door behind him and said in amusement, “It’s only me.”
Joe emerged from the closet, and sat on the bed, shrugging. “Well, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. You’d probably have a hard time explaining why there was some strange guy in your room. Especially one who’s green.”
“True,” Nick conceded. “Especially now that I’d have to answer that you’re my boyfriend from outer space and not just my friend from outer space.”
Joe looked at Nick, concerned, as he joined him on the bed. “If it would make things difficult to tell people that I’m your boyfriend, then why tell them?”
“Because,” Nick replied, scooting closer to Joe, “I’m not going to lie about you if someone asks. And Kevin knows and he’s been covering for us the whole time.”
“Kevin knows?” Joe repeated.
“Well, yeah, I mean, you kissed me in front of him. But he says he knew before that. I didn’t even know before that. Or, I didn’t want to admit that I knew before that.”
Joe nudged Nick’s shoulder with his own. “You were pretty oblivious,” he teased.
“Yeah, well, not anymore,” Nick retorted.
“And I’m glad,” Joe said softly.
Nick leaned against Joe for a while, just because Joe was there and he was allowed, before he sat upright again. “Do you want to just watch movies until we fall asleep?” he asked. “My parents think I’m sick and I went to bed early, so we can’t really do anything more interesting anyway.”
Joe nodded. “Sure, that sounds nice.”
Nick got up and pulled a pair of pajama pants out of his bureau and threw them at Joe before he pulled out a second pair for himself. “Here, you can wear these to bed.” He turned his back to give Joe some semblance of privacy, and to get some for himself, although past experiences made him suspect that Joe would stare the whole time.
When Nick finished changing, he went over to the DVD player again and started debating movies. “Do you care what we watch?” he asked Joe.
“Whatever you pick is fine.”
Nick glanced over his shoulder and saw Joe standing awkwardly beside the bed, jeans in hand. “You can just throw those on the floor,” he said. “And go ahead and get under the covers,” he added, as he selected a movie and put it in the player. When the FBI warning came on the screen, Nick grabbed the remote, turned out the lights and joined Joe in bed.
“This one isn’t a cartoon like the other one,” Nick explained, settling under the covers. “It’s funny though.”
“That’s fine,” Joe said agreeably.
Nick rested his head on Joe’s chest and slung one arm over his waist. “Hopefully you’ll like this one too.”
Joe curled an arm around Nick and smiled at him in the dark. “I’m sure I will.”
-
Nick wasn’t sure what woke him up at first. It was late; the clock blaring red said 12:37. The room was once again bathed in blue light; either Joe had powered off the DVD player or one of them had unintentionally hit the button on the remote in their sleep. Joe was still beside him, albeit awake and tense. And then, following the line of Joe’s gaze, Nick realized why.
Denise stood in the doorway, one hand still on the knob from where she’d pushed the door open. “Nicholas,” she said finally, “what exactly is this?”
Nick sat up, glancing at Joe as he did so. Thankfully, the TV’s blue glow masked the color of Joe’s skin, so all Nick really had to explain was the presence of another boy in his bed. “Um, Mom, this is Joe,” Nick tried.
“Joe,” Denise repeated flatly. “And why, Nicholas, is he in your bed?”
“I-well-he-” Nick stumbled over his words before finishing lamely, “I didn’t want to make him sleep on the floor?”
Denise raised her eyebrows. “And you have an explanation for why you were cuddling, too?”
Nick sighed in defeat. “What do you want me to say, Mom? He’s my boyfriend.”
Denise gasped and covered her mouth, shaking her head, though whether it was in denial or something else Nick didn’t know. “Your what?” she said eventually, lowering her hand.
Nick swallowed hard. “My boyfriend,” he said again, voice shaking. Under the covers, Joe’s hand found his, and Nick squeezed hard.
Nick could see Denise gathering her composure. “Joe,” she said coolly, “I think it’d be a good idea if you went home.”
“Of course,” Joe murmured, carefully pulling his hand away from Nick’s. He leaned in close and breathed in Nick’s ear, “Come find me when you can.” Then he slipped out of bed and made his way slowly to the doorway.
Nick bit his lip. How was Joe going to leave without Mom realizing he was green? It was all well and good in here, where any strange tint to Joe’s skin could be attributed to the TV. But in the brightly lit hallway, there would be no mistaking Joe’s color for anything other than what it was.
“Mom?” Kevin asked from down the hall. “What’s going on?”
As Denise turned to answer Kevin, Joe slipped past her and hurried down the stairs while her attention was still on her eldest son.
“Nothing, Kevin,” Denise answered. “Go back to bed, sweetheart.”
But Kevin padded down the hall and joined Denise in the doorway, winking subtly at Nick, who mouthed a desperate “Thank you” to Kevin over Denise’s shoulder. “Is Nick all right?”
“Mom found out about…my boyfriend,” Nick explained, wanting to give Kevin the chance to pretend he’d been oblivious the whole time.
Kevin, who definitely won the ‘best big brother in the world’ award, replied immediately, “Joe?”
Denise turned to Kevin, mouth agape. “You knew about this? How?” Then something seemed to click. “You helped Nick sneak his-that boy in here tonight,” she accused.
“Yeah Mom, I did,” Kevin replied evenly.
She frowned. “Paul Kevin, your father and I raised you better than this.”
“They really care about each other, Mom,” Kevin said. “And I know their relationship is…unconventional, but they’re good together.”
“So you help your little brother lie to us? I’m disappointed in you, Kevin, I thought you knew better.” She turned back to Nick, who still hadn’t really moved. “And as for you Nicholas, your father and I will be speaking with you tomorrow.” Nick nodded wordlessly as Denise left.
Kevin waited until her footsteps had faded on the stairs before he swiftly crossed to Nick’s bed, closing the door firmly behind him. “What happened?” he asked.
Nick shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know! She came in when we were asleep-thank God the TV was on or she would have found out about Joe, and things would be even worse right now.”
“She must have been coming in to check on you, since she thought you were sick. I’m sorry, Nick, it was the first excuse I could think of to get you out of there.”
Nick shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Kev. You were trying to help.”
Kevin sighed, before he smirked a little bit. “So, boyfriend, huh?”
Nick blushed. “Yeah. Not that it matters, Mom and Dad will probably never let me see him again. And you’re in trouble too now because of me.”
“We’ll figure something out, I promise,” Kevin said. “For now, I guess the best thing to do is just go to bed, try to get some rest, and deal with this in the morning.”
Nick nodded. “I guess so,” he mumbled.
Kevin ruffled his hair before he stood up and walked out of the room, pausing to turn off the TV on his way. “Goodnight, Nick.”
“Night,” Nick responded quietly. As the door closed with a gentle snick, Nick buried his face in the pillow Joe had used and tried to pretend his bed didn’t feel hopelessly empty as he tossed and turned.
-
The next morning, Nick was roused far earlier than he would have liked so that they could talk before Kevin Sr. went to work. He felt as though he was in a business meeting and underdressed, sitting across from his father in a shirt and tie. The only good thing was that Nick spotted Kevin lurking in the doorway behind his parents, clearly ready to intervene for him if need be.
“Nicholas,” Kevin began, “we both want you to know that we’re not angry with you because you’re-because you have a-”
Nick stared incredulously. “You expect me to believe you’re not mad when you can’t even say it?”
“Nicholas,” Denise said firmly, “You are our son, and we will love you no matter who you choose to date. We might need some time to get used to the idea that maybe the person you choose isn’t a girl, but we will never be mad at you or love you any less.”
“You…really?” Nick replied. While his parents had never outright said anything against homosexuality, he’d just assumed that they’d be against it because of his father’s position at the church, and he thought that most of his mother’s anger the night before was because of the gender of who he was in bed with, not because he was in bed with anyone at all.
Mom leaned over and hugged him. “Really.
“However,” she continued, pulling back, her voice going steely, “We are angry that you lied to us and snuck your…boyfriend in. You know better than to do either of those things, Nicholas.”
Nick hung his head. “I know,” he said.
“We understand why you felt you had to lie,” Kevin said, “But that doesn’t make it right. And there is absolutely no excuse for sneaking him in overnight. You know how we feel about that.”
“I know,” Nick said again.
Kevin stood up. “Nick, you’re grounded for two weeks. And Kevin,” he added more loudly, and Kevin sheepishly shuffled into the room, “even though you're twenty-one, you still live at home, and you are expected to abide by our rules. Helping your little brother break them is not what you’re supposed to do. We know you had good intentions, but you will also be grounded for a week.”
Kevin nodded. “All right,” he said softly.
“I need to get going so I’m not late for work,” Kevin said. “I love you, boys.”
“Love you too,” Nick and Kevin both murmured, as Kevin kissed Denise goodbye and headed out the door.
When the door had closed behind him, both Nick and Kevin headed back upstairs to their rooms. When they reached the top of the stairs, before they went their separate ways, Nick mumbled, “I’m really sorry for getting you in trouble.”
Kevin shook his head. “I got myself in trouble.”
“Because you helped me,“ Nick argued.
Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to be mad at you?”
“Well, no,” Nick replied. “But-”
“But nothing,” Kevin said firmly. “I wanted to help you and I did. And I'm grounded, so what. I don't really need to go anywhere anyway.”
Nick sighed. “Yeah, but I do. Joe’s going to be leaving in a few days, and now I won't be able to spend any time with him.”
Kevin made a sympathetic noise. “I know that sucks, Nicky. Maybe we can think of a way to sneak you out or sneak Joe in again.”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know, I don’t want to get anyone in any more trouble. I feel bad if I get you in trouble, Joe’s life might be at risk if I get him in trouble…”
Kevin ruffled his hair. “We’ll figure it out,” he promised.
“I guess,” Nick mumbled. He started to head back into his room, but he paused on the threshold and turned back. “And Kev?”
Kevin paused in the act of opening his own door. “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Kevin smiled. “No problem.”
Nick had barely been in his room for five minutes, debating between getting dressed for the day or going back to sleep, when Denise decided for him.
“Nick!” she called, and Nick stuck his head out into the hallway.
“Yeah?” he yelled back.
“I need to go run a few errands, and you and your brother’s car keys are coming with me.”
“Why do I have to go?” Nick asked.
“Because, Nicholas, you’re grounded and I’m not sure I trust Kevin to enforce that right now.”
Nick sighed. There went a chance to talk to Joe. Because Mom was right, Kevin definitely wouldn’t have enforced his grounding. He got ready quickly and returned to the living room.
“Thank you,” Denise said when she saw him. She was ready to go, purse in one hand and two sets of keys in the other. “I just have to get a few groceries and stop at the post office, it shouldn’t take too long.”
Nick just nodded and went out to the car wordlessly, Denise following.
Denise glanced sideways at him as she backed out of the driveway. “So tell me about this Joe boy,” she ventured finally.
“He’s…he’s amazing, Mom,” Nick replied softly. “I really, really like him.”
Denise smiled. “I’m glad, honey. Like I told you this morning, your father and I both need some time, but if you’re happy, then that’s what’s important.”
“I am. But the thing is,” Nick went on, suddenly getting an idea, “Joe’s going to be going away for awhile, and he’s leaving in just a couple days, couldn’t I see him again before then?”
Denise shook her head. “I’m sorry Nicholas, but you’re being punished. You can see him when he comes home, can’t you?”
“I guess,” Nick mumbled. So much for that plan.
They pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store a moment later, and Nick opened his door with a sigh, not excited to trail along after his mother like a little kid while she did her shopping. Halfway to the store though, his phone vibrated and he pulled it out.
He had a text from Kevin, but when he opened it, he just kind of looked at it for a solid thirty seconds. All it said was nivk!!..!
are u drunk? Nick sent back, utterly confused.
No response came for at least ten minutes, which Nick had spent following Denise through the produce section and wondering about his brother’s sanity. Finally his phone vibrated again.
tgis is joe kevin gave me his phone so i could tak to yoy, Nick read, and he grinned. Make that ‘best big brother in the galaxy’ award.
did he tell u what happened this morning? Nick texted back, and he waited not so patiently for Joe’s typo-filled reply as they moved on to the cereal aisle.
Joe was apparently getting the hang of typing on Kevin’s phone, because Nick only had to wait five minutes this time, though the spelling was just as bad. yed im sorry i got you in troublw
it’s okay. it just sucks that i won’t be able to see u again before u leave.
Nick was helping Denise load the groceries into the car by the time Joe texted back again. thres no pint in staying if i cant se you i guess ill go home tomorrow but i want to say good bye in person do you think i can get in without your mom seeing
Nick typed his response slowly as he thought. He didn’t want Joe to leave again so soon. He didn’t want Joe to leave ever. u probably can. and honestly i don’t care if i get in more trouble if it means i get to see u before u leave.
This time, Joe responded before they even got to the post office. good ill see you tomorow
<3, Nick sent back, feeling like a girl but not really caring.
Nick got another text only a minute later. what does that mean
it’s a heart <3
The phone didn’t vibrate again until after they’d arrived home and the groceries had been put away, but Nick saved the text immediately.
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
-
The next morning, Nick was again woken earlier than he would have liked, although this time it was by his cell phone going off and not by his parents. He fumbled for it on his nightstand before he finally hit the right button and brought it to his ear without looking at it. “H’lo?” he mumbled sleepily.
“Nicky!” Joe said excitedly on the other end of the phone. “I figured out how to call you!”
“I see that,” Nick replied, trying to work up to Joe’s level of awake. “I’m glad you did.”
Joe’s next words were less excited, and Nick could practically see his face falling. “Oh…did I wake you up?”
“It’s fine,” Nick reassured him. “You’re nice to wake up to.”
“Well, good morning,” Joe said, excitement creeping back into his voice. “I thought maybe I could come to your house soon?”
Nick yawned and swung his feet over the side of the bed and sat up. “I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll have to wait for the right time. When Mom’s busy with something.”
“Oh, okay,” Joe said, sounding disappointed.
“I can’t wait to see you, though. It’s ridiculous, I just saw you the day before yesterday.”
Joe laughed. “I know what you mean.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Nick said softly.
Joe was quiet for a while before he sighed. “I wish I could stay,” he said. “But Nicky, I can’t.”
Nick sighed too. “I know you can’t.”
“But I’ll visit again ,” Joe said brightly. “And you’ll see me today.”
Nick tried to smile even though Joe couldn’t see him. “I’m excited.”
“Me too.”
“So I guess I’m gonna go downstairs now and see what Mom’s doing. But I’ll text you when you can come, okay?”
“’Kay,” Joe said. “I l-I’ll see you soon.”
“Soon,” Nick echoed. He ended the call and went out into the hallway. Immediately, he realized that the shower was running. Trying not to get his hopes up in case it was Kevin in the bathroom, he crept down to Kevin’s bedroom and peeked in. Kevin was sprawled out on his bed, snoring softly, and Nick practically ran back to his room to text Joe.
Less than two minutes after Nick had hit send, Joe seemed to appear of out nowhere as he slid to a stop just inside Nick’s room, breathing heavily. “I came…as fast…as I could,” Joe managed to gasp out, closing the door behind him.
Nick looked at him worriedly. “You didn’t have to come quite so fast…are you okay?”
Joe just grinned at him, still panting a little bit. “I’m fine. I’m with you.”
Nick broke into a smile of his own before he crossed the room and hugged Joe tightly. “I’m glad you’re with me.”
Joe kissed Nick’s cheek before pulling away and practically collapsing on Nick’s bed. “Remind me never to do that again,” he mumbled from his prone position. He reached into his pocket and pulled Kevin’s phone out, dropping it on the mattress.
Nick chuckled and lay down beside him, moving the phone to his nightstand. “You’ll probably remember all on your own.”
“Mm-hmm,” Joe murmured, rolling to his side and putting an arm around Nick’s waist to tug him closer. “Ugh, can we just lay here all day?”
Nick rolled to face Joe and nuzzled into his neck. “For a couple hours,” he said, “but if I stay in here too long Mom’s going to come looking for me.”
“That’d be bad.” Joe slipped his hand under the hem of Nick’s shirt and brushed his thumb back and forth across the skin of Nick’s hip.
Nick shivered, feeling goose bumps appear in the wake of Joe’s movement. “Yeah, it would,” he replied. “So I’ll just have to go downstairs in an hour or so for a little while. But don’t leave, okay?”
Joe shook his head. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”
Nick sighed. “I want you to stay forever.” Before Joe could answer, Nick kissed him, slipping his tongue past Joe’s lips to slide against Joe’s tongue. Nick brought both hands up to cup Joe’s jaw, his lips moving slowly against Joe’s as his tongue mapped out Joe’s mouth, taking in the sweet taste. Joe’s fingers tightened almost painfully on Nick’s hip, but he didn’t really care; he wanted Joe to leave bruises, to leave some sign that he’d been there, that this was real, after he left. That thought made Nick move more frantically against Joe, the kiss becoming harder and dirtier with his desperation.
Finally he had to break the kiss to take in more oxygen, but he didn’t go far, trailing his lips down Joe’s jaw and to his neck, his tongue darting out to taste Joe’s skin. He pressed a sloppy open-mouthed kiss to the place just above Joe’s collar bone, before biting down slightly. Joe made a small hurt-pleased noise at that, and Nick kept nipping and sucking, determined to leave a mark on Joe, too.
Joe started pushing at the t-shirt Nick was wearing, managing to get it up under his armpits without Nick moving away from his neck, but when he ghosted his fingertips across one of Nick’s nipples, Nick shuddered and pulled away, leaving behind a red mark that was sure to darken soon. He sat up just enough to pull his shirt over his head, and then grabbed the bottom of Joe’s too, yanking it up and off, before reconnecting their mouths and pressing their torsos together. The feeling of skin-on-skin was incredible, and Nick moved even closer to Joe, Joe pulling Nick in with a hand on his lower back, as their tongues moved sensually against each other.
Joe rolled onto his back, bringing Nick with him to settle on top of his body, and they both moaned as their lower halves aligned just right. Joe moved his hands in soothing circles over the expanse of Nick’s back, and Nick broke the kiss and dropped his head to rest against Joe’s shoulder, breathing heavily, nearly overwhelmed by the sensation of Joe underneath him and his hands moving on his skin.
When one of Joe’s hands slipped beneath the waistband of Nick’s pajama pants and boxers to rest against his bare ass, though, Nick raised his head. “Joe,” he gasped out, “Joe, we should stop.”
Joe slid his hand up to the small of Nick’s back. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Nick murmured, scooting sideways off of Joe and giving him a peck on the lips before laying his head on Joe’s shoulder and resting one hand on Joe’s tummy. Joe wrapped his arm around Nick’s shoulders and squeezed gently. “It’s fine-better than fine. Good. Great. I just don’t want to rush, you know?”
Joe nodded and leaned his head against Nick’s. “Yeah, I get it.”
“I don’t want our first time together to be like this,” Nick continued. “I want to be able to take as long as we want and make as much noise as we want and-”
“Hey,” Joe interrupted, dropping a kiss on Nick’s curls, “I get it. I’m not in any hurry. We have time.”
Nick smiled and snuggled closer to Joe. He started tracing shapes on Joe’s skin with his fingertips, fascinated by the contrast between Joe’s pale green stomach and his own creamy white hands.
They lay there for awhile, not really talking, just touching and occasionally kissing, enjoying being together. Finally though, Nick sat up, gently dislodging Joe’s arm. “I should get dressed and go downstairs,” he murmured.
Joe nodded as he sat up too. “Yeah, okay.”
“And I was thinking, you should probably leave now. I want you to stay, but we could get caught any minute and it’d just be safer if you left.”
Joe sighed. “You’re probably right.”
“I’ll go outside to get the mail so you can get out without Mom seeing you open the door,” Nick said. “So I guess we should say goodbye now.”
Joe shook his head. “No. It’s not goodbye. Because I’ll be back to visit in a little while, and we’ll see each other again.”
Nick attempted to smile. “Okay, so we’ll say see you later instead.” He stood up and offered Joe a hand to help him up as well. Then he hugged Joe tightly, and kissed him hard. “See you later,” he whispered as they separated.
“See you later,” Joe repeated. “I’ll wait here to give you time to get to the door.”
Nick nodded and pulled his shirt back on before he went downstairs. He opened the front door and held it open as he informed his mother he was going to get the mail when she asked where he was going, feeling Joe brush by him as he did so. He trudged out to the mailbox, pausing in front of it and closing his eyes. He missed Joe already.
Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around Nick’s waist. He turned around, surprised, and hissed, “Joe, what are you doing, someone could see!”
“I know,” Joe said, “but I had to-I-” He paused, fidgeting nervously. “I love you.”
Nick gaped at him, frozen. Then he pulled Joe in and kissed him. “I love you too,” Nick murmured, pulling away.
Joe just stood there with a goofy grin for a second. “I should go,” he said finally.
Nick nodded. “You should,” he started to say, but he was interrupted by his mother’s shout.
“Nicholas Jonas, you are supposed to be grounded young man, which means that you…oh,” Denise gasped as she got close enough to see Joe clearly.
“Mom,” Nick said quickly, “don’t freak out.”
“Don’t freak out? Nicholas, he’s green!”
“I know that,” Nick said. “He’s…an alien.”
Denise shook her head. “An alien?” she repeated faintly, and Nick would have been amused by the parallels to what had happened when Kevin found out if the situation wasn’t so tense.
“Yes ma’am,” Joe said.
Denise shook her head again before her eyes widened and she spun back to face Nick. “You’ve been-consorting with an alien for who knows how long?! It’s a miracle you’re still alive!” she shrieked.
Joe stepped forward, trying to calm her. “Mrs. Jonas, I would never hurt Nick, I really care about him.” He reached down and took Nick’s hand.
Denise stared in horror at their interlocked fingers before grabbing Nick’s arm and wrenching him away from Joe. “Get away from that thing!” She shoved Nick towards the house before turning back to Joe furiously.
“Joe, maybe you should just go,” Nick called nervously.
Joe’s eyes flickered from Denise to Nick, and he nodded. The next second he had gone.
Denise stared at the place where he’d disappeared for a moment before rounding on Nick. “What were you thinking?!” she demanded. “You don’t know what that thing is capable of! You could have been killed, or abducted, or-or who knows what!” She didn’t give Nick a chance to answer before she’d pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. The operator clearly didn’t believe her when she reported an alien sighting, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief when Denise snapped her phone closed angrily.
A second later, Nick started believing every conspiracy theory he’d ever heard as Denise’s phone went off and she spoke to whoever was on the other end. “Yes,” she said hesitantly. “An alien…it looked normal but it was green…it was trying to get at my son…yes sir, I will.”
She looked up at Nick when she’d closed her phone again. “He said he would send a team out here to see if they could find it, and that they’d do all they could until it was captured. He also advised us to forget we’d seen it or heard from him.”
Nick gaped. “What kind of team? A men in black type of thing?”
Denise shrugged. “I don’t know, but don’t worry, Nick, you’ll be safe now.”
“Maybe, but Joe won’t!” Nick yelled back. The images he’d had of Joe being spread out on a table the very first night he’d met him came back, and Nick shook his head. He had to warn Joe, tell him to leave and not come back…hopefully he hadn’t already left, and hopefully he could get to Joe before whoever was after him could.
Nick took off running, ignoring Denise when she yelled at him to come back. He ran as fast as he’d ever run in his life, ducking under branches and just hoping he’d get to Joe’s ship in time.
When he emerged from the woods, he found the ship still on the ground, although the engine roared to life as he stood there. He ran to the door and started banging on it, and a second later it opened.
“Nick, what is it?” Joe asked, catching him as he fell forward when the door moved from beneath him.
“You-” Nick panted, “you have to leave right now. And you can’t ever come back. Some guys are on their way right now to find you-if they don’t get you now, I’m sure they’ll keep checking to see if you come back. I don’t want that to happen, who knows what they’ll do to you?”
Joe froze. “I’ve heard stories,” he said. “They were-pretty horrible. I didn’t know if they were true, so I didn’t think there was any reason to-” He shook his head quickly. “But Nick, I don’t want to lose you.”
“You have to go,” Nick said. “Joe, you have to. I’d rather know that you’re alive out there somewhere than dead or worse because of me. Joe, please.”
Joe shook his head. “But Nick-”
“They’re already on their way, Joe, you have to leave. I don’t want to lose you either but you have to. Please.”
Joe nodded. “I-okay, you’re right. I wish there was some way I could see you again, but-I love you, Nick.” He leaned in and gave Nick a lingering kiss.
“I love you too,” Nick replied when they separated. “And I wish there was too, but there just is…n’t…” Nick trailed off, biting his lip.
“Nick?” Joe asked urgently.
Nick swallowed hard. “I know what we have to do.”
-
“You have one new voice message,” Kevin’s phone told him when he found it in Nick’s room. “First voice message:
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. I don’t have time to explain, you can ask Mom and she’ll tell you what happened. And then you’ll understand why I had to leave, why I chose to leave. I love Joe, Kevin, I really do, and he loves me too. I’ll be okay. Maybe someday, we’ll come back, and we’ll find you. I love you, Kev. You’re the best big brother in the universe. Thank you for everything. Bye.
“End of message.”