Skinny Mean Man, FINAL CHAPTER.
YESYESYES.
I'm sorry it took so long.
I'm sorry if it blows.
I had that issue with fluff again there at the end.
OaF coming soon!
New one-shot also coming soon!
Expect them!
Matt was already plastering that sweet smile on his face, dragging himself to his feet. “Nicky, honey . . .”
The sound of his voice made Nick sick to his stomach. “Don’t call me your ‘honey!’” he spat, his face hot with his fury. “How dare you try to sweet-talk me after this little stunt!”
Matt straightened, calmly rearranging himself, pushing his hair out of his eyes, adjusting his clothes. “I think you should let me explain.”
Nick turned to look incredulously at his brother, standing silent behind him, his cheek bright pink as evidence of the assault against him. “You hit him!” his voice was shrill with outrage as he turned back toward Matt. “You hurt the most important person in the world to me!”
“He was coming onto me, Nicky.” Matt had that soft complacent tone in his voice. “He said he was jealous of you, that you got to be in a-“
“Bullshit!” Nick cried. “Joe wouldn’t do that, Joe doesn’t feel that! He’s not like you! He doesn’t get jealous and possessive and stupid.” He was seething, letting every emotion he’d been afraid to feel seep out of him, as if through his very pores. “You never liked me, did you? You never wanted me - except for my name. You just wanted to say you fucked Nick Jonas, to be able to tell everyone, to ruin my life. Right?”
Matt stood silently glowering at him. His dark eyes no longer looked sweet with sincerity; they looked menacing, beady, like Nick supposed he had been too blind to see they always were.
He swallowed the disgust for himself that was rising as bile in his throat. “Leave now, Matt.” He was surprised by how smooth and low his own voice was. “Go home, or go stalk some other band. I don’t want to see your face at one more of our shows. Got it?”
Matt looked like he was thinking about hitting him, but Joe came discreetly to his side, as if sensing that feeling, staring Matt down. “You’re missing out on something great, Nick.” He warned as he backed toward the door.
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “I think I’ll live.”
At the door, Matt stopped, eyeing them. “I’d watch out for your brother there, Nick. He looks at you like he’s in love with you.” His sneer made Nick think of a fish. “I’d be a better option than that.”
Nick folded his arms over his chest, refusing the justify that with a response.
And, the door closed with a click, Matt was gone from his life forever.
He sank down on the bed, feeling drained. He had just dumped his boyfriend; not just dumped him, but learned to hate him, and it had all taken less than five minutes. He didn’t even feel sad.
Joe knelt beside him on the floor, grasping his hand and peering up into his face. “Are you okay, Nicky?”
“Me?” Nick’s smile was weak but sincere. “You’re the one who got slapped!”
“You’re the one who was dating an asshole.” Joe retorted, trying to keep his voice light.
Nick’s fingers squeezed Joe’s tightly, their eyes meeting. “He really was just trying to take advantage of me, wasn’t he?”
Joe nodded, mouth creased sharply into a frown. “Kevin and I wouldn’t have let him.”
“You let him hurt you.” Nick pressed the tips of his fingers gently to the bruise on his brother’s cheek, pulling them away when he winced. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Nicky.” Joe said softly, sitting down on the bed beside him. “Did you mean what you said about me?”
Nick tilted his head at him, brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn’t remember much of anything he’d said during his tirade. “Um, maybe? If it was bad, no.”
Joe chuckled, shaking his head. “No, you said that I was the most important person in the world to you.” He looked up at him, eyes compelling. “Did you mean that?”
Nick was quiet as they looked at each other. Their hands were still laced together between them, palms sweaty, but that was okay. It was nice somehow, as long as they were touching. Finally, Nick leaned over, hesitantly, and pressed his lips softly to the welt on his cheek. His skin felt nice beneath his mouth, soft, warm with the blood throbbing through it.
“Nick,” Joe’s voice cracked over his name.
“Shh,” Nick soothed, turning his head toward him gently. “Let me take care of you, just for a little while.” He pushed his fingers into his brother’s hair, pulling him toward him.
“Don’t.” Joe’s voice was sharp, strained, his eyes closed tightly. “I can’t do this.”
Something about the words stung so badly, Nick had trouble breathing. “What?”
Joe looked at him sadly. “How can you suddenly be able to return my feelings? You can’t change your mind so easily.” He took his hands, pressing them against his heart. “I love you, and I would do anything to make you happy, but this would only hurt both of us in the end.” He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, then stood and quietly removed himself from the room.
-----------------
“It’s about time. You guys took - Jesus!” Kevin leapt to his feet, rushing to Joe’s side, gently tilting his face up to observe the shining welt on his cheek. “What happened?”
“Matt,” Nick murmured, closing the door behind hi, his guitar slung from his shoulder.
Kevin frowned, looking from one of them to the other, desperate to know what had happened between them, but he pressed his lips together, figuring he’d get the full story later. He turned toward the mini-fridge, opening it to find something cold, and settled on a can of Coke, beckoningJoe to sit in the chair he’d just vacated so that he could hold it against his cheek.
“Ah! That’s cold!” Joe batted his hand away, rubbing the condensation from his face.
“I don’t care; it’s gonna look really nasty if it bruises.” Kevin winced every time Joe did, as he held the can to his brother’s face, just like a mother opens he mouth when she’s trying to get her baby to eat.
It almost made Nick smile. He perched on the end of Joe’s bed, his guitar settled across his lap, picking out chords at random, trying to concentrate on anything but the words Joe had just said to him, that hurt more than he thought anything could. He supposed this was a little like he’d probably made Joe feel, like he wanted to curl up in a big nest of blankets and sleep, because crying all the time would be so tiring.
“Are we still up for movie night?” Kevin tried to speak lightly, still sending glares in Joe’s direction so that he’d keep the soda can against his face. “I mean, I already ordered use of the DVD player.”
“I’m up for it.” Nick said, stilling the strings. He didn’t want to go back to his room alone, where he’d have to think about Matt and Joe and his own stupidity.
Kevin shrugged, taking About A Boy off the TV and putting it in the DVD played, then killed the lights and fell onto his bed, hitting the appropriate buttons on the controller until the movie started playing.
Joe wandered over to his own bed, the Coke getting less and less cold against his skin, and plopped beside Nick as casually as he could. “I thought you weren’t gonna teach me.” He smiled cheekily, trying to make sure they were okay, that they could still be brothers.
“I’m not.” Nick’s voice was more curt than he’d meant it to be, his eyes averted to his fingers as they moved across the strings. “Not now. I’ll teach you later.”
Joe sighed, knowing Nick was trying not to be upset, that this was the best he could do. He crawled up to his pillows, resting back against them, trying hard to focus on the movieand not the curve of his little brother’s neck as he bent over his instrument.
After half an hour, Kevin sighed and sat up, irritated. “Nick, if you’re not going to watch the movie, go to your room! I can’t concentrate with you playing.”
“Lighten up, Kev,” Joe murmured. “It’s not like you don’t have it memorized anyway.”
“It’s okay, Joe.” Nick said softly, standing. “I’m just gonna go to bed. Night, guys.” He wandered from the room, his guitar hanging sadly from his hand, a vision of melancholy.
Kevin glared at Joe.
Joe blinked, confused. “What? You’re the one who told him to leave!”
Kevin threw a pillow at him. “Go talk to him, you idiot!”
----------------
“Nick?” Joe knocked softly, hisvoice muffled through the door.
Nick sighed, padding across the room to answer it. “Yeah?”
He shifted from foot to foot, watching them move. “Can we please talk about this?”
“About what?”
“This,” Joe gestured between them.
“Oh,” Nick nodded. “You mean the ‘this’ that doesn’t exist because you can’t make up your mind? Sure!”
Joe winced at the sarcasm. “That’s not how it is.”
“Then, by all means, explain.” Nick threw his arm out, beckoning him into the room. “Tell me how it is.”
Joe entered, almost reluctantly, feeling like he was walking into a trap, and turned to face him. “Nick, I love you.”
The younger boy snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
Joe sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I love you so much. Sometimes I almost want to hate you. It’s tha kind of love, because I know you can’t return it. And, with how much I ant you to be happy, I couldn’t even consider using your vulnerability over this break-up to my advantage.”
Nick’s eyebrows lifted, confused.
Joe sat down on the bed, fingering the end of his t-shirt distractedly. “I didn’t want to use your need to get over him just so I could be happy for a little while before you realized it was a mistake.”
Nick let his arms fall to his sides incredulously. “You thought I’d think of you as a mistake?”
“Let’s face it, Nicky,” Joe shrugged. “You’ve made it very clear that you don’t want to be what I want us to be. And, I’m okay with that. I just - I can’t stand you being mad at me for rejecting you. I only want what’s in the best interests for both of us. I don’t want you to get hurt, and I don’t want to hurt anymore. I don’t want to hurt what we have now.”
Nick came to his side, sat down, looked at him earnestly. “Do you know what I was feeling when I saw what happened between you and Matt?” When Joe shook his head, Nick took his hand. “I was furious. I was more angry than I think I’ve ever been, because he thought he could hurt you and get away with it. And, I was angry that you were just letting him. But, mostly, I was sad.” He smiled wistfully. “He said, ‘I wonder what he sees in you.’ And, everything I love about you ran through my head all at once, and it all outweighed anything I’ve ever felt for anyone else.”
Joe swallowed hard. “Nick-”
“Let me finish.” Nick cut him off gently. “When he hit you, I felt it. It knocked the air out of me. It hurt so badly to know that you were in pain, and that I wasn’t doing anything about it.” He cupped his brother’s face in his hands, the look in his eyes fierce but sincere. “I meant it when I said you were the most important person in the world to me. I would never, ever use you, even unintentionally, because your happiness is so much more important than anything.” He smiled softly. “Does that suffice as an ‘I love you,’ Joey?”
For the second time that night, Nick pulled Joe toward him, but this time Joe let him. Their lips came together, gently, sweetly, and for some reason, it made Nick forget that they’d ever kissed before. This was so different, so soft, that he could feel all of his nerves humming with his love. Joe’s hand was on his hip, his thumb pressing circles over his skin. “Nick,” Joe breathed, not really saying anything, just recognizing him, realizing him to be the person he was with right now.
Nick responded by pushing himself against him, wrapping his arms around his neck, kissing him as hard as he could, forcing all of his regret and adoration and energy into the action, praying Joe could feel it.
He did, his fingers curling in Nick’s hair, his other arm wrapped around him as they toppled backwards onto the bed. “Nicky, Nicky,” Joe’s voice was hoarse, his mouth moving across his jaw, down the soft curve of his neck. “I love you.”
Nick pushed himself up on his hands, leaning over his brother, trying to catch his breath, curls disheveled, and smiled softly. “It’s not nearly as weird to hear you say that as I thought it would be.”
Joe rolled his eyes, smirking. “Yeah, that’s the response I wanted.”
“Oh, shut up.” Nick leaned down to press his lips to his cheekbone. “I love you too.”
“My phone’s vibrating.” Joe groaned, pushing him off gently to pull it from his pocket and flip it open. “Yeah?” He laughed slightly. “Yeah, okay. We’ll be right over.” He closed it, sitting up.
Nick tilted his head at him, confused. “Kevin?”
Joe nodded. “He’s lonely. He said to stop making out and come keep him company.”
Kevin looked up at them from his bed as they came back into the room. A smile lighted on his face at their hands tangled together between them. “I take it you two worked it out?”
They looked at each other, and Nick noticed again the difference between their eye color. Joe was so beautiful. How had he never seen it before? “Yeah. I guess you could say that.”
Fin.