ROUND 3: ENTRY 1: Untitled [no. 1]
Title: Untitled
Word Count: 1,649
t wasn't right. While Alan had never really thought of Nick as a brother, precisely, he'd always been Alan's responsibility. Alan wasn't exactly feeling like much of a protector at the moment. He felt more like a dirty old man-- which was absurd, because while he was a few years older in body, Nick passed him in age by at least a few millennia.
It wasn't even that Nick was doing anything attractive. It was silly. The fact that his body obviously didn't find it silly was something Alan wouldn't let his mind linger on.
Nick wasn't looking at him, that much he was thankful for. Alan's mind tried to figure for this would work into his plans for the future, but all he could manage was to hear the slick sound as Nick continued sharpening his sword.
Nick's eyes were as pitch black as ever, but had gained a complete focus as he drew the file over the edge of the blade. Alan shivered in time with each drag along the ever-sharper metal. Alan sat in his bed, book opened over his lap. His eyes kept creeping back toward Nick sitting in the windowsill.
Alan took a breath, quietly, to prevent the audible catches with every dangerous, metallic noise. He fixed his eyes carefully to the book, but he wasn't sure if that was better or worse. Even with his eyes fixed on the book, all he could see was Nick. Nick's lips pulled tight, brows drawn in just a fraction. Nick's hands rough, but so careful.
Alan felt his muscles drawing tight, nervous. He slammed shut the book.
Nick turned to him quickly, holding the sword in a fighting grip. Alan forced himself calm, “Sorry.” Nick held his eye for one more moment, Alan could hear his heart in his ears. The irrational little bit of Alan's mind was amazed that Nick couldn't hear it.
And then Nick turned back to his sword, and Alan stood up from the bed. It was good that Nick wasn't watching as Alan walked away. Despite the fact that Nick didn't look into Alan slamming books, he felt that other signs may be a little harder to ignore.
The next afternoon, Alan took the car to go pick up Nick from school. He was usually out punctually, wanting nothing more than to avoid his classmates, but Alan had been waiting for ten minutes now and there was no sign of Nick.
During the wait, he didn't think of his embarrassing reaction to Nick. It wasn't something that he could explain to himself logically. He didn't let himself see all the obvious building to that point in time. He didn't think about just how much he thought about Nick.
He really didn't think about much.
“Hey.” Alan turned quickly, hearing his brother's voice. But Nick wasn't speaking to him; he had his eyes set on a girl just outside the school building. Nick was close enough to the car that he must have seen Alan, but he seemed to be taking his own sweet time in getting there.
Nick's eyes there fixed on the girl, a little too direct, but while she seemed nervous and a little frightened, leaving seemed to be the last thing on her mind. Alan tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, and tried not to look like he was staring.
“Hey,” the girl responded, sounding almost breathless. She was leaning closer than Nick liked. Alan knew that in most situations he would walk away, but he was forcing himself to relax and let her in, to lure her in. Alan didn't think about how he wished Nick would let him close.
“You're in Mr. Luther's class, aren't you?” Nick's eyes were focused for a moment on her lips and her tongue peaked out to wet them. She nodded dumbly. “I didn't quite understand that last assignment, do you think we could find some time to work on it together?”
The words were nothing special, almost obscene in their obviousness. It was something that would never have worked for someone else. It wouldn't have worked for Alan. It was working now, though. Alan's knuckles were white and his heart was pounding faster than it should be.
The girl was nodding enthusiastically and handing Nick her number. Nick was pocketing it with an almost-smile. Nick walked over to Alan, looking smug. “She's cute,” Alan bit out, trying for nonchalant.
“Yeah.” Nick agreed.
Alan tried to relax his hands, no use getting them killed on the drive home. “You shouldn't use her like that.”
“She'll like it.” Alan bit back the noise beginning in the back of his throat.
Alan didn't speak until they'd gotten back home and he'd gotten himself back from the memory of Nick's dark smile.
Alan couldn't seem to get himself under control. This was mad. Alan had always prided himself on his ability to maintain a facade-- it had kept both Nick and himself alive for years. But the last few days had left him feeling like the nervous teenager he'd never actually been.
Stiffly stepping into the small house they'd been living in for the last few months, Alan didn't allow himself to look too long toward Nick. It seemed he couldn't even manage basic control when he was involved.
He didn't know how long he could keep this particular secret hidden.
The next few days, though, seemed to pass smoothly enough. Alan kept his distance, not wanting for Nick to see just how weak his self-control had become. And most of the time he managed to look as if nothing were different at all.
The nights, however, were becoming much more embarrassing.
Glimpses of dark eyes; the feeling of lean muscles slick with sweat. A low, rough voice in his ear. The sharp point of a blade, not quite hard enough to cut, running down his back, marking each bump of his spine.
Regardless, he had thought he was doing well at keeping himself under control, but it seemed he had simply been in denial. Because now Nick was standing in front of him, eyes so focused it was all Alan could do to not throw himself at him.
“What did I do?” Nick's voice was harsh and hard. Alan took a moment to understand the words.
“What?”
“You are acting--” Nick struggled for a moment to find the words, “wrong.”
Alan let his face go innocent. “You haven't done anything, Nick.”
Nick let out a short, cut-off growl. The lights in the hallway of their house where he'd cornered Alan began to flicker. Alan felt himself back up, bad leg held braced against the wall. He wished his breath quickening was out of fear, but he had never been good at denial.
“Alan.” Nick said. Nick had never been built for words, they were something he had learned for Alan. Alan couldn't manage his own words at the moment, though.
Nick was staring as if could simply pluck the thoughts straight from Alan's brains-- a mix of frustration and power that Alan felt drawn to. “Nick,” he responded, voice deadpan.
“Tell me.”
“You didn't do anything.” Alan insisted.
Nick flung himself around, rushing out the door with his sword in hand, probably to work off his anger without tearing down their house. Alan stood against the wall, chest heaving and leg sore. He let the mask of innocence fall.
He limped to the door, watching Nick destroy the hedges with a vicious snarl.
Alan slid into the chair nearest the door, taking deep breaths and preparing himself to lie to his brother. He'd done it so long that it shouldn't be such a problem, but Nick didn't believe him so easily anymore and this time Alan's own body was working against him.
When the sun had almost entirely set, and Alan's leg was stiff from sitting, Nick finally reentered the house. “I thought you wanted me here.” Voice monotone, shoulder's heaving, sword still held loosely in his hand. “But if you want me to leave, tell me.”
Alan didn't let his eyes linger too long on Nick, he watched the windows instead, “What would make you think I don't want you here?”
“You--” Nick turned away as well, stalking towards the kitchen. “You have barely spoken to me in days. You act like you're burned every time I bump you. You won't even look at me.”
Nick had found all of the leaks of Alan's thoughts and had taken them to the entirely wrong conclusion. “That isn't--” Alan began, voice calming.
Nick practically lunged over to him. “Don't lie.”
And then Nick paused, watching the way Alan's eyes flickered to his sword. He watched the flush rise on Alan's cheeks that he couldn't quite control.
Alan knew he'd been caught. Demons were oblivious to much, but physical attraction was something they were attuned to.
Nick didn't move at first, lips left slightly open. His mind seemed to be making the plans Alan's own mind wasn't capable of. He felt as if it had shuddered to a complete halt.
Alan was pinned back to the chair simply by Nick's presence. He closed his eye for a moment, but it just made him all the more away of Nick's body. Nick's eye trailed over Alan's body, head to toe-- much like the testing glance he had given the girl from school. Nick lifted his sword slowly, as if testing.
Alan shuddered, unable to stop himself.
Nick put the dull edge of the sword against Alan's cheek. It was cold and sharp and perfect. Alan couldn't seem to unlock his eye from Nick's. He'd been caught. It was too late to go back, too late to deny.
Alan turned his head slightly and dragged his tongue along the dull edge of the blade.
Nick's eye widened, and then narrowed. He smiled,. “Kinky.”