the course of true love never did run smooth
Title: the course of true love never did run smooth
Chapter: 1/1
Pairing: Nate/Serena/Carter
Summary: oh what fools these mortals be. For jada_jasmine at this ficathon.
Word Count: 1,100
Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl.
Nate loves her enough to share her, is really what it comes down to. She wants what she wants, and he wants her, and it's never been very hard to just give in, give her what she wants.
For a while he thinks it doesn't matter anyway. She sees Carter, she sees Nate, she never sees them together. He knows she's with someone else but doesn't ask questions. For a while he thinks it's just a phase and it'll be over.
He's doing this for her, so she can have what makes her happy.
A night of too much scotch and not enough of her, and he realizes how fucking selfish he is, holding on instead of giving her up, just because he's too in love with her to let her find one person who gives her what she needs.
He'd rather be part of a combination that does it instead of not being with her at all.
... ... ...
She invites him over when Carter is there. Nate doesn't know that until he shows up and the guy is sitting there on the sofa in her place. He looks as surprised as Nate is.
"For me," Serena says, and she's carrying a bottle of Grey Goose.
Nate sees, for the first time, that maybe Carter just can't give her up either.
... ... ...
He gets her in public, when there are appearances to make. If you ask him, that means he's the more acceptable choice. It doesn't mean he's going to win in the end; she doesn't have to say that for him to know it's true. But he gets her in pictures. In ballrooms. He gets her hand in his at the ball at the Met and the night at the theatre, and the fundraiser for Constance and St. Judes. He's her boyfriend, then, and not one of two.
They go to her place after, every time, and Carter takes off her dress with steady hands, lets satin or silk or chiffon fall to the floor and attaches his lips to her neck over whatever diamonds she's wearing there. The first few times, Nate leaves. Drops her off and knows she's safe, even if she's with Carter.
(He doesn't even know when Carter became safe, at least where she's concerned; he doesn't trust Carter, but somehow he trusts him with her.)
One time he stays, though no one asks him to. Serena smiles like finally and comes out of the bedroom when Carter's finished with her, wearing a tee shirt she stole from Nate when he was 13 and the smile that got his heart when he was even younger than that.
... ... ...
He likes the way Carter fucks her. All muscled lines of his back, breath hitching, hands on her thighs, or behind her and pulling her hair. Hard and fast and unbelievable to watch. Carter treats her like Nate couldn't ever really bring himself to. A little rough (a lot, sometimes) like Nate isn't stupid enough to know she's always needed. He watches, meets her eyes when her hair is off her face and there's sweat beading on her forehead.
The first time it happens, both of them and her, her back is arched, thighs flexing as she moves on top of Carter, and she breathes out, "Nate," and moans when Carter practically spanks her.
Nate kisses her, and fuck, he swore he'd never let it come to this.
... ... ...
"Don't wake him."
"You just want me all to yourself," Serena giggles, even as her bare hip brushes Nate's, and he's completely awake even if they don't think he is.
(Serena probably knows. She just knows things.)
"Regardless," Carter says, in that voice that sometimes Nate finds himself thinking he can't really blame Serena for loving as much as she does. "He looks sort of…cute when he's sleeping."
Serena stills, then sits up, and her hand is on Nate's side. She probably made that look like an accident.
"You just called Nate cute." Carter sighs. "You don't even call me cute."
Nate listens as Carter kisses her to shut her up, and Serena wakes him up with a hand around him as Carter goes down on her.
(If that mouth touches him, too, that's just…Spur of the moment.)
... ... ...
Carter has business in Milan. Nate isn't even entirely sure what the guy even does.
("Acquisitions. Investments. You know how it is."
Nate stops asking questions. The less he knows, the better.)
"It's only a month," Carter tells her, his driver taking his bags and Serena's eyes sad and lonely, though Nate's right there next to her. He kisses her cheek, gives Nate a nod, and goes.
Nate is entirely surprised when Carter actually comes back at the end of the month. Even more surprised that he actually missed him.
Serena sleeps naked in their bed and Nate and Carter stay up too late, drinking scotch and talking about nothing. Can't say who kisses whom first, but they leave the room so they don't wake Serena up. It's a first for that, too.
... ... ...
"Why do you let me do this?" Serena asks one night, drunk on champagne and tracing her finger around his belly button. Carter is on the phone with Tokyo or Taiwan or Tripoli - Nate wasn't paying attention - and pacing by the window.
"Do what?" Serena rolls her eyes. This is stupid, because she knows the answer. Nate chuckles, kisses her hair. "I love you." She curls up a little closer to him, breasts against his side, and presses herself against his hip, rocks back and forth a couple times. "Why does he do it?"
Serena looks across the room at Carter, standing there in Armani boxer briefs with his hair a mess, staring at her while someone talks to him from the other side of the world.
She leans up, never takes her eyes off Carter, and whispers, "He loves me, too," into Nate's ear.
Nate feels stupid, really, for not realizing it sooner.
... ... ...
"I'm not bowing out."
It feels important, sometimes, for Nate to point it out. He's typically more passive aggressive about it.
Carter sips his coffee, reads the morning paper, and says, "I wasn't going to ask you to," and then slides the sports section across the table.
Chapter: 1/1
Pairing: Nate/Serena/Carter
Summary: oh what fools these mortals be. For jada_jasmine at this ficathon.
Word Count: 1,100
Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl.
Nate loves her enough to share her, is really what it comes down to. She wants what she wants, and he wants her, and it's never been very hard to just give in, give her what she wants.
For a while he thinks it doesn't matter anyway. She sees Carter, she sees Nate, she never sees them together. He knows she's with someone else but doesn't ask questions. For a while he thinks it's just a phase and it'll be over.
He's doing this for her, so she can have what makes her happy.
A night of too much scotch and not enough of her, and he realizes how fucking selfish he is, holding on instead of giving her up, just because he's too in love with her to let her find one person who gives her what she needs.
He'd rather be part of a combination that does it instead of not being with her at all.
... ... ...
She invites him over when Carter is there. Nate doesn't know that until he shows up and the guy is sitting there on the sofa in her place. He looks as surprised as Nate is.
"For me," Serena says, and she's carrying a bottle of Grey Goose.
Nate sees, for the first time, that maybe Carter just can't give her up either.
... ... ...
He gets her in public, when there are appearances to make. If you ask him, that means he's the more acceptable choice. It doesn't mean he's going to win in the end; she doesn't have to say that for him to know it's true. But he gets her in pictures. In ballrooms. He gets her hand in his at the ball at the Met and the night at the theatre, and the fundraiser for Constance and St. Judes. He's her boyfriend, then, and not one of two.
They go to her place after, every time, and Carter takes off her dress with steady hands, lets satin or silk or chiffon fall to the floor and attaches his lips to her neck over whatever diamonds she's wearing there. The first few times, Nate leaves. Drops her off and knows she's safe, even if she's with Carter.
(He doesn't even know when Carter became safe, at least where she's concerned; he doesn't trust Carter, but somehow he trusts him with her.)
One time he stays, though no one asks him to. Serena smiles like finally and comes out of the bedroom when Carter's finished with her, wearing a tee shirt she stole from Nate when he was 13 and the smile that got his heart when he was even younger than that.
... ... ...
He likes the way Carter fucks her. All muscled lines of his back, breath hitching, hands on her thighs, or behind her and pulling her hair. Hard and fast and unbelievable to watch. Carter treats her like Nate couldn't ever really bring himself to. A little rough (a lot, sometimes) like Nate isn't stupid enough to know she's always needed. He watches, meets her eyes when her hair is off her face and there's sweat beading on her forehead.
The first time it happens, both of them and her, her back is arched, thighs flexing as she moves on top of Carter, and she breathes out, "Nate," and moans when Carter practically spanks her.
Nate kisses her, and fuck, he swore he'd never let it come to this.
... ... ...
"Don't wake him."
"You just want me all to yourself," Serena giggles, even as her bare hip brushes Nate's, and he's completely awake even if they don't think he is.
(Serena probably knows. She just knows things.)
"Regardless," Carter says, in that voice that sometimes Nate finds himself thinking he can't really blame Serena for loving as much as she does. "He looks sort of…cute when he's sleeping."
Serena stills, then sits up, and her hand is on Nate's side. She probably made that look like an accident.
"You just called Nate cute." Carter sighs. "You don't even call me cute."
Nate listens as Carter kisses her to shut her up, and Serena wakes him up with a hand around him as Carter goes down on her.
(If that mouth touches him, too, that's just…Spur of the moment.)
... ... ...
Carter has business in Milan. Nate isn't even entirely sure what the guy even does.
("Acquisitions. Investments. You know how it is."
Nate stops asking questions. The less he knows, the better.)
"It's only a month," Carter tells her, his driver taking his bags and Serena's eyes sad and lonely, though Nate's right there next to her. He kisses her cheek, gives Nate a nod, and goes.
Nate is entirely surprised when Carter actually comes back at the end of the month. Even more surprised that he actually missed him.
Serena sleeps naked in their bed and Nate and Carter stay up too late, drinking scotch and talking about nothing. Can't say who kisses whom first, but they leave the room so they don't wake Serena up. It's a first for that, too.
... ... ...
"Why do you let me do this?" Serena asks one night, drunk on champagne and tracing her finger around his belly button. Carter is on the phone with Tokyo or Taiwan or Tripoli - Nate wasn't paying attention - and pacing by the window.
"Do what?" Serena rolls her eyes. This is stupid, because she knows the answer. Nate chuckles, kisses her hair. "I love you." She curls up a little closer to him, breasts against his side, and presses herself against his hip, rocks back and forth a couple times. "Why does he do it?"
Serena looks across the room at Carter, standing there in Armani boxer briefs with his hair a mess, staring at her while someone talks to him from the other side of the world.
She leans up, never takes her eyes off Carter, and whispers, "He loves me, too," into Nate's ear.
Nate feels stupid, really, for not realizing it sooner.
... ... ...
"I'm not bowing out."
It feels important, sometimes, for Nate to point it out. He's typically more passive aggressive about it.
Carter sips his coffee, reads the morning paper, and says, "I wasn't going to ask you to," and then slides the sports section across the table.