Previous part of Devotion.

***

Nick loved days like this: lazy Sunday afternoons at the park, gorgeous weather, good food and great friends. It felt like a scene in an arthouse movie, with Archie resting his head in Leise's lap, Bobby resting against Aiden's side while Cailin lay on her stomach coloring in a notebook. Everything was perfect.

Almost perfect, rather, because Nick couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was missing. They had played a game of touch football, and somehow Aiden, Cailin and Leise had managed to win again. Nick had the sneaking suspicion that they were using Cailin as a weapon, because every time Nick would get the ball she would try and tackle him to the ground, grabbing him around the legs and holding on for dear life. Naturally, the only thing Nick could do was drop the ball and grab her, lifting her above his head and threatening to throw her in the lake while she shrieked with laughter. Leise would jump on Bobby's back and wrap her legs around him, and Aiden would take off across the park. When he spiked the ball, Cailin wrestled out of Nick's grip and she and Leise joined him for the silliest victory dance Nick had ever witnessed. Eventually, everyone collapsed in heaps of laughter on the gingham blanket, cheeks sore from laughing.

Usually on days like this Nick would look around at his friends - his family, really - and think that life couldn't get any better. He had people that cared about him, and a job he loved and a home and everything he ever thought he could want. And sure, it wasn't always easy, but it was his life and he loved it.

Today, though, he was missing something. And if he were completely honest with himself, it wasn't something, but someone. At random times during the day he found himself thinking about Greg, wishing he had called to invite him, wondering if he would join. Wondering what it would be like if Greg leaned against him like Bobby and Aiden. For the first time in a long time, Nick felt genuinely lonely, even in his group of best friends, and he could only think of one person he would want there with him.

Nick was shaken out of his own thoughts by Cailin climbing into his lap with her coloring book. She looked at him with her intense blue eyes, studying him.

"Penny for your thoughts, Uncle Nick."

Nick smiled down at her. She was so bright, and adorable, and perfect that sometimes Nick forgot she wasn't a very short adult.

"Do you actually have a penny? Because my thoughts are not free."

Cailin turned to Aiden. "Da, can I borrow a penny please?"

Aiden laughed lightly as he fished a penny out of his pocket and handed it to Cailin, who in turn offered it to Nick. As Nick reached out to take it, though, Leise reached over and closed her hand over Cailin's.

"Tell you what, Cailin. I can save you a penny, because I think I know what Uncle Nick is thinking, and you don't have to pay me anything to tell you."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Leise nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Yes. And if I'm right, you have to admit it. And you owe me a penny."

Cailin turned to look at Nick, whispering, "You can borrow my penny, Uncle Nick."

Nick shook his head. "I don't think it works like that, ladies. I-"

Leise held up her hand. "Bah. Everyone here knows what you're thinking about. That guy in the canoe knows what you're thinking about. Or whom, rather." Leise raised an eyebrow, and Nick could feel his cheeks redden.

"Who?" Cailin asked, her eyes wide.

Leise leaned forward, eyes widened to match Cailin's. "Greg," she whispered, smiling.

"Who's Greg?" Cailin turned back to Nick, giggling. "Is Greg your boyfriend, Uncle Nick?"

They all looked at Nick expectantly. After a moment, he silently took the penny from Cailin and handed it to Leise.

"Thank you." Leise handed the penny back to Aiden.

"Well, Uncle Nick? Who's Greg?" Archie leaned up on one elbow.

Nick looked down at Cailin. "Greg is not my boyfriend, no. He's my friend who is a boy. But I was thinking about him, because I wish that he could've come to the park today to play with us."

"Did his mommy make him stay at home today?"

Nick laughed. "No, I didn't ask him to come."

"Why not?"

"I-I don't know, Cailin. That's a very good question." Nick wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Well," she replied, picking her crayon back up and situating her book in her lap, "there's always next week."

Archie, Leise, Aiden and Bobby all gave Nick a simultaneous Look, and Nick sighed, looking down at Cailin's coloring book. There was a little cartoon boy in a labcoat, and Nick realized that when coloring books make you think of people, you're officially too far gone to deny it anymore. "Okay, you were right. You were all very, very right, and I was wrong and also stupid, okay? I give. Uncle."

Bobby leaned towards him. "Meaning...?"

Nick sighed again. "I like Greg. A lot. And I'm pretty sure that Greg likes me, too."

"And...?" Leise nudged his leg with her toe.

"And I don't know what I'm going to do about it yet, but I'm going to do something. At some point."

Archie sat up and looked at Leise, who nodded, and Nick envied their wordless conversations. "We were going to throw a dinner party. Nothing fancy, just have everyone over for dinner. I think that would be the perfect opportunity to get a certain football coach and chemistry teacher together away from school, so maybe they could have a certain conversation."

Leise nodded, smiling brightly, and it must've been the sunlight but Nick thought she was glowing. "I think that's perfect. So, next Saturday, our apartment, seven o'clock."

Cailin looked up. "Can I come?"

Leise reached over and pushed a hair back from Cailin's eyes. "Definitely. We want everyone to be there."

Nick nodded, swallowing thickly. He trusted them, he really did, but putting his heart on the line wasn't something he did lightly, or well. Still, there was an almost giddy feeling in his heart, and he grabbed a crayon, leaning in to give the cartoon scientist brown eyes.


...



By the time Saturday rolled around, Nick's stomach had permanently lodged in his throat. He had absolutely no idea what the was going to say, if he even could say anything, and evidently his terror was obvious since Leise took the bottle if wine from him and led him into the kitchen gently, sitting him down at the island.

"Nick, you look like you're going to throw up. When was the last time you took a breath?"

Nick exhaled heavily, leaning against the counter. "I'm sorry, I'm just...nervous. I am so fucking nervous, I could throw up. I might." He rested his face in his hands and sighed.

"Nick," Leise reached across the counter and touched his hands, moving them away from his face. "Nick. It's okay to be nervous. Certain things in life are...terrifying." There was a flicker of something in her eyes, but she smiled again. "But they're amazing, too. And no matter what the risks, sometimes you just have to let go of that fear and go for it, you know?"

Nick nodded, relaxing a bit. Leise handed him a bottle of beer, which he took gratefully. When the doorbell rang, the knot in his stomach tightened slightly, but he gave Leise a brave smile and followed her into the living room, where Greg was shrugging off his jacket and smiling. When he caught Nick's eye, his smile widened, and Nick couldn't help but smile back. Greg made his towards Nick and stood next to him.

"Hey, G."

"Hey, Nick. How's it going?"

Nick opened his mouth to reply, but across the room Archie cleared his throat loudly.

"Okay, um," Archie wrapped an arm around Leise, who leaned into him and smiled. "We were actually going to wait until after dinner to do this, but we've been sitting on it for a while and I'm going crazy, so...um, yeah." He looked at Leise, who was positively beaming.

"We're pregnant." Leise's eyes were sparkling, and for a moment Nick couldn't wrap his mind around the words. Then it hit him, all at once, and he blinked.

"Well, technically, Leise will be the one doing all the work. I'll be in charge of craving runs and foot rubs, but, yeah. We're going to have a baby."

There was a moment of silence, with Archie and Leise smiling at each other in a way that made Nick almost ache, and for a split second he wanted to reach out and grab Greg's hand. Then Bobby and Aiden were hugging them and congratulating them, and Cailin was asking about when the baby would be there and if she could help dress it, and Greg looked over at him with this goofy grin and everything was just...

"Wow." Greg's voice was barely above a whisper.

Nick blinked, nodding. "Yeah."

Archie looked up, smiling widely, and Nick walked over to them. He hugged them both, and when he stood back Archie's eyes were shining.

"Okay," Leise announced, hand resting on her abdomen. "We're starving, so let's eat."
After dinner, every took their usual places in Archie and Leise's living room, with Cailin on the floor at Bobby and Aiden's feet, looking through a baby book Leise's mother had sent.

Aiden was asking about doctors and sonograms, and Nick noticed that Greg was missing from their circle. He caught Archie's eye and raised an eyebrow, but Archie just shrugged and nodded towards the kitchen.

Nick found Greg on the patio, leaning against the railing and looking out across the backyard. Nick wiped his palms on his thighs and walked up beside him, mirroring his stance.

They stood there in silence for a minute, Nick watching Greg watch the wind blow through the trees. After what felt like hours, Greg finally looked over and smiled at Nick.

"I really like them, you know?"

"Archie and Leise?"

Greg nodded. "And Bobby, and Aiden and Cailin. All of them. I feel...like I belong with them. If that makes sense."

Nick just nodded, because it did. It made perfect sense, because they were his family, much more than people a world away who chose pretense over love and honesty. He loved the people in that house fiercely, and he understood exactly how Greg was feeling. Only Greg's brow was furrowed and the corners of his mouth were turned down.

"Is that bad?"

Greg just shook his head, looking back out into the horizon, and Nick moved marginally closer. "No, it's not bad. Just...strange. The only person I feel really, truly close to, aside from my grandfather, is Sara, and I've known her forever. I just...it's strange, is all. Good. Scary, almost." Greg lowered his head, studying his folded hands on the railing. "I just hope I never do anything to piss you off."

Oh. Nick smiled a little, bumping Greg's shoulder with his. "Greggo, man, we're your friends. It's not like that. They love you, trust me. It's cool."

Greg looked over at Nick, bumping his shoulder and lingering for a moment longer than necessary, and his smiled warmed a part of Nick that he'd ignored for so long he'd almost forgotten about it.

"Hey, Cailin and the guys are leaving if you want to say goodbye."

Leise was leaning in the doorway when Nick turned around, smiling smugly, and Nick's cheeks felt warm even though the night was cool. Greg stood up next to him and they walked inside to say their good-byes, hands brushing in the doorway.


...



The following Monday at work, Nick once again found it impossible to concentrate on the tests he as trying to grade. His mind kept flashing back to Greg's face as they leaned against the railing, the brush of their hands as they walked back inside. He was wishing for a distraction, from both his thoughts and his work, when someone knocked on the door of his office.

"Come in."

Nick was relieved when Ben Hughes stuck his head in the door.

"Hey, Ben. What's up?"

Ben stood in the doorway for a minute, looking around the room nervously. "I, uh. Are you busy? Cause I can come back later if you're busy."

"No, no, come on in. Have a seat. What can I do for you?"

Ben closed the door carefully behind him and sat in the chair in front of Nick's desk, setting his backpack down next to it. He was fidgeting, turning his class ring around and around on his finger, looking everywhere but at Nick.

"Ben, are you okay?"

Ben looked at him, then, eyes wide. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just...Shane told us what you talked about that day, after practice, and I just, um...I wanted to, uh, to tell you, um, thanks, I guess."

Nick frowned. "Thanks?"

Ben nodded slightly. "Yeah, it's just...it gets really old, you know? Hearing the same stuff all the time, but it's like, we can't say anything because then he just turns on us, so...um, thanks, I guess. For making him stop." Ben's hands were shaking, Nick noticed, and his voice was strained. Ben was silent for a minute, staring at the corner of Nick's desk.

"Ben?"

"He's my best friend, right? That's what everyone says. Only, most of the time I can't stand him. He's a douchebag, and he doesn't even care what he does to those guys. He doesn't care about anyone but Shane, and I just...most of the time I just want to punch him in the face."

Ben paused, but Nick remained silent, letting him piece his thoughts together. Ben looked at him, finally, and Nick felt a painfully familiar sting at the look in his eyes.

"You're a good person, Coach. You actually, like, give a shit about what happens to us, you know? I don't think a lot of teachers are like that here."

Nick smiled. "I just do the best I can, Ben. It's all we can do, right?"

"Right, but, like, I trust you, you know? I feel like, if I told you something in confidence, you wouldn't tell anyone else. Not my parents or other teachers or anyone. Am I right?"

Nick leaned forward. "Almost. If you're going to tell me something that could potentially lead you to harm yourself or someone else, I would have to tell someone. That's the law, and even if it weren't, I would still do whatever I could to keep something like that from happening. But," Nick continued, lowering his voice, "if you wanted to tell me something else, something you felt like you couldn't tell anybody, you have my word that I would never tell a soul."

Ben's eyes were dark and glossy, his jaw clenched, and Nick saw parts of himself in Ben that he had almost forgotten about. It hit him, then, like a punch in the gut and he realized he was holding his breath, waiting for Ben to speak. When he finally did, Nick could hear the tears in his voice.

"I'm gay," he whispered, closing his eyes as a tear slipped down his cheek. He took a few deep breaths, wiping at his cheek with the back of his hand, and when he opened his eyes Nick just nodded.

"Okay."

"Yeah, except Shane is-"

"Ben."

"And my dad, holy shit if my dad finds out he'll kill-"

"Ben." Nick's voice was strong, and he almost surprised himself. "Ben. It's okay."

"But-"

"No. Ben, it's okay."

Ben looked at him. Nick nodded again, smiling, and Ben returned it with a small smile of his own. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's okay. I promise."

"And you won't...?"

Nick reached up and crossed his hand over his chest, then held up two fingers. "Scout's honor, Ben. You can trust me. And you know, you probably don't want to do this, but Mr. Sanders is a good guy, and since you're in his Chem class you could get away with talking to him without anyone being suspicious."

Ben shook his head, but Nick continued anyway. "I'm just saying that I know you can trust him, too. And if you want, I can set something up. That's all I'm saying, okay? You don't have to tell anyone else, ever, if you don't want to, but eventually secrets have a way of eating at our hearts until we can't stand it anymore. Just remember that."

Ben looked at the ground, and Nick could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. "You don't think anyone would think it was weird?"

"No offense, Ben, but you're not the best Chem student, from what I hear. If anyone asks, you can tell them I made you go for tutoring because I was worried about your eligibility."

Ben looked up again, his eyes a little lighter. "And I can trust him, too?"

"I believe that with everything I've got, kid. You can trust him."

Ben nodded. "Okay. Will you talk to him?"

"Yeah, definitely. We'll figure something out, okay?"

Ben nodded, and when the bell rang he stood up slowly. Nick stood up, too, walking around the desk and clasping his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Just remember that no matter what you think or feel like right now, it's okay."

Ben nodded again, trying to smile, and Nick followed him to the door, closing it and sagging against it. He pressed his finger and thumb into his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose and breathing deeply, trying to regain control of his emotions before he headed to the Chem lab.

***

"Sweet Jesus," Greg muttered to himself, marking a big "X" across yet another test answer. At least this one was remotely amusing, whereas the others just made him want to stab himself in the eye with his red Sharpie. He tallied up Heath's score and scribbled it at the top of the paper, and when he saw the name on the next test he seriously considered it. He was sitting at his desk, studying the end of the marker, when Nick walked into his classroom.

"Hey."

"Hey. Did you know, and I bet you didn't, that caffeine is an alkaloid of the methamphetamine family?" Greg rolled his eyes, and Nick laughed.

"Nice. Did you know that one of the most common STDs is Gentile herpes?"

Greg couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, so he went with groaning. "Oh, God. Makes you wish you were Jewish, eh?"

"Yeah." Nick's face sobered, and Greg cocked his head to the side.

"What's up, Coach?"

"I, uh. I need to talk to you. About a school thing, but not at school. Are you busy tonight?"

Something in Nick's voice made Greg instantly nervous and his stomach plummeted. "It's nothing that can't be rescheduled. Did you want to come over? Or meet somewhere?"

"Why don't you come over to my place?"

Greg looked around. "What, like, now?"

"If that's okay. It's kinda...it's important."

Greg stacked the tests and capped his pen, shoving it all in his bag. "Yeah, definitely. Okay." He slung the bag over his shoulder and followed Nick to the parking lot. He couldn't help but notice how tense Nick's shoulders were, his arms straight at his sides with his hands shoved in his pockets, and everything about this made Greg incredibly uneasy.

The minute he got in the car he called Sara, leaving a quick explanation on her voicemail and apologizing, promising to call her as soon as possible. The drive wasn't long, but in the fifteen minutes it took to get from the school to Nick's house, Greg came up with four hundred different scenarios of what could possibly be wrong, his favorite and most insane being Nick having some sort of horrible disease and needing an organ. He had two of the important ones, right? Kidney, lung, whatever. His brain was working overtime, creating and rejecting problems and crises and issues, and by the time he parked in front of Nick's house and got out of the car he felt like he was going to be sick.

He walked up the sidewalk as quickly as he could without running, slightly relieved to see that the drive seemed to have calmed Nick down a bit. He was smiling by the door, waiting for Greg, and they walked inside silently.

"Have a seat, man." Nick gestured to the chair with his bottle, and Greg sat down. To his surprise, Nick sat down on the side of the couch closest to him and leaned back.

"You got a new coffee table." Greg grabbed a coaster and set his beer down.

"Yeah, I've had the old one since college. Too many nights of feet and slamming fists and, look, I didn't ask you over to show you the new coffee table."

Nick looked at Greg and the intensity in his eyes made Greg's pulse quicken.

"...okay."

Nick waved a hand. "Wait, let me start over. So, today during free period, I get a visit from Ben Hughes. You know him, right?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah, he's in my second period. Football player, right?"

"Right. Great football player. Great kid. Which is why this whole thing is fucking killing me."

"Okay, hold on. You gotta start at the beginning and stay there, 'cause you're losing me."

Nick took a deep breath. "Okay. Ben stopped by to see me this afternoon because of a conversation I had with Shane McPherson. I told Shane that if I got one more report of him bullying or threatening another student, I'd bench him."

Greg whistled through his teeth. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Wow. What did he say?"

"Nothing, of course. But I meant it, and he understood that I meant it, and apparently some time after practice he told the other guys about it. I don't know much about that conversation, except that when Ben came in today, he thanked me for it. And at first, I didn't really understand, but then it just hit me, like lightning, and I was like, holy shit."

"What hit you?" Greg frowned, trying to put the pieces of Nick's story together into a logical picture.

"He's gay. Ben. He told me, but I kinda figured it out right before he told me, 'cause that look in his eyes was just so fucking familiar, you know? And I just knew, and then he told me, and he's scared of Shane or his dad finding out. I told him I wouldn't tell anyone, but then I asked if he would think about talking to you, and he asked if he could trust you, and I said, yeah. Hell yeah."

Greg sat back in the chair. "Whoa."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Okay, so what did he say to that?"

"He said he'd talk to you. He wants to make it look like I sent him for tutoring or something, because he really is terrified of someone finding out, but he wants to talk to you." Nick looked at Greg, his eyes desperate and sad. "You'll talk to him, right? I mean, outside of your meetings and stuff?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, good." Nick leaned back and took a drink of his beer, and Greg did the same until something hit him. His heart was racing already, and he could feel his pulse in his fingertips against the bottle. He leaned forward again.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"What does that mean, the look in his eyes was familiar?"

Nick moved to the edge of the couch, and their knees were almost touching. Greg could feel heat radiating from Nick's body in waves. Nick leaned forward on his arms, and if Greg wanted to he could've reached out and taken Nick's hand in his.

"I was that kid, G," Nick whispered. "I remember. Only I didn't have anyone to talk to, so I just kept everything inside until one day it all exploded. I remember, though, what it felt like to carry it around for all those years. I don't want this kid to have to go through that, Greg."

Greg's mouth opened, but he couldn't find his words. Instead, he sat there, mouth slightly agape, and stared at Nick, trying to force himself to know what to say. After a few seconds, Nick laughed lightly.

"I'm gay."

"No, yeah, I got that." Greg swallowed thickly. "So am I."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"How do you know?"

"Initially? Your refrigerator." Nick laughed. "Those magnets are interesting, to say the least."

Greg blushed despite himself. "Sara got me those when she was in Vegas. I forget about them all the time." He shook his head. "And the Hank thing?"

"You looked like you were gonna puke in my office, man. And I really was confused about the whole thing, so..."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Nick shrugged. "I figured you'd tell me if you wanted to."

"It's not that I didn't want to, it's just..."

"Work, I know."

Greg shook his head again. "No, it's not even that. It's just...I figured you were seriously straight. I mean, you're a football coach from Texas."

Nick clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "There you go with those stereotypes again, G."

"I know, I'm sorry." Greg ran a hand through his hair, exhaling heavily. "Wow."

"So you'll help Ben, right?" Nick's voice still sounded worried, and Greg made a note to ask about his own adolescence, later, when the time was right.

"Definitely."

Nick inched closer until their knees were touching, and he touched Greg's kneecap lightly with his fingertip. "Will you help me, too?"

Greg opened his mouth to ask how, but then Nick was kissing him, pressing their lips together and winding his hand around the back of Greg's neck, and Greg lost all ability to form cognitive though. Nick's lips were warm, if a bit chapped, but he was kissing Greg like his life depended on it, and it was all Greg could do to hold on. He moved as close to the edge of the chair as possible, their knees knocking together, and when Nick fisted his hands in the sides of his shirt and pulled him forward Greg felt like the bottom fell out of the earth. He let himself be drawn closer, and when Nick leaned back against the couch Greg climbed into his lap, straddling his legs. He couldn't breathe, but he couldn't move away, instead biting at Nick's bottom lip and sliding his tongue between Nick's teeth.

Nick made a noise that sounded awfully close to a whimper, digging his fingertips into Greg's shoulder blades and pulling Greg closer until there wasn't an inch of space between them. Nick's mouth was warm and alcoholic, his teeth smooth against the sides of Greg's tongue, and when Greg finally pulled away, his lungs burning, Nick trailed open-mouth kisses along his jaw, finally resting his forehead in the curve of Greg's neck.

Greg fought to breathe, to slow his pulse, but everything about this moment was entirely too intense and perfect to be believed. He wrapped his arms around Nick's neck and held him tightly.

"Holy shit."

Nick laughed, his breath warm against Greg's neck. "Yeah."

Greg moved back, allowing himself to process what just happened. "You kissed me."

Nick grinned. "Yeah, I did. I hope that's okay."

"I don't normally go around climbing into the laps of grown men not sporting a red suit and eight tiny reindeer, so I'd say it's fine. Just...you kissed me."

"I'd like to do it again, if I could." Nick looked up at Greg through his eyelashes and all Greg could do was grin.

The second kiss was softer, but just as amazing, and Nick nipped at Greg's bottom lip before pulling away. Beneath him, Nick shifted slightly, and Greg was suddenly very aware of their position.

"I should move," he said, lifting one leg slowly, but Nick tightened his hold around Greg's waist and kissed him again.

"Or, you could just stay here," Nick mumbled against his neck, kissing along Greg's collarbone.

"I'm eventually going to have to move, Nick." When Nick just shook his head, Greg laughed. "You can't just carry me around forever." Greg's hands that had been massaging Nick's shoulders seconds before froze as the last word left his mouth, but when Nick looked up at him, his eyes were more mischievous than anything.

"Is that a bet?"

"No, NO, Nick, no." Greg's protests fell on deaf ears as Nick tightened his hold on Greg's waist and stood up in one fluid motion, not even faltering as Greg squeezed his legs around Nick's waist.

"Now what? I'm just going to go where ever you go from now on?" Nick nodded, grinning, and Greg bit his bottom lip. "Where are we going, then?"

Nick situated his hands under Greg's ass, pressing their hips together, and Greg inhaled sharply. Nick didn't say a word, just headed down the hallway, and Greg held on for the ride. As Nick walked them into his bedroom, Greg bit his earlobe, sucking softly, and Nick groaned as he knelt on the bed, laying Greg on his back.

The light from the living room filtered into bedroom, and as Nick hovered above him his eyes almost sparkled. It was Greg's turn to whimper as he pulled Nick's mouth against his. Nick kissed his mouth, his jaw, his neck, and Greg ran his hands up the back of Nick's shirt and pulled it over his head. Nick moved back again, urging Greg's shirt up his body, and once it was off Nick traced the curve of Greg's chest with his tongue, closing his mouth over Greg's nipple.

"Oh, God." Greg almost didn't recognize his own voice, breathy and needy. He pulled Nick up, wrapping his legs around Nick's waist again, kissing him hard. Nick ground his hips down, pressing Greg into the bed, and he gasped into Nick's mouth. He moved his hands in between their bodies, grabbing desperately at Nick's zipper. After some difficulty he finally got it down and slid his hands into the back of Nick's jeans, pushing them down.

Nick groaned and pulled away, sliding them the rest of the way off and tossing them aside. "Yours. Off," he growled as he reached into the night stand drawer and grabbed a bottle of lube. Greg did as he was told, tossing his jeans aside. His breath hitched as he watched Nick pour a few drops into the palm of his hand, exhaling shakily as Nick wrapped his hand around both their cocks. After a few strokes, Nick removed his hand and bucked his hips, grinding their cocks together. Greg wrapped his legs around Nick's waist again, pressing the heels of his feet into the back of Nick's thighs, and Nick sucked on his neck.

It was all so much, the heat and the friction and Nick, oh, God, Nick, and Greg couldn't even keep his eyes open. Nick pressed their chests together, one arm on either side of Greg's body holding him up, barely, and the feel of their cocks sliding together was almost more than Greg could take. He grabbed at Nick's back frantically, wanting more and closer and oh, God, yes, yes. Nick stopped kissing him, his forehead pressed against Greg's shoulder, and Greg tightened his legs as he came, God, yes, Nick, Nick, Nick, yes, God, yes.

Nick moved his hips faster, breathing heavy and mumbling incoherently against Greg's skin. His entire body tensed as he came, his breath hot in Greg's ear, and after a few moments he moved slightly, resting most of his weight on the bed instead of Greg. He kissed Greg gently, smiling. "Wow."

Greg could only nod, reaching blindly behind him for his boxers to clean them both off. Once he was finished, Nick wrapped his arms around him and pulled him as close as possible. He was completely exhausted, too tired to move or talk, and he laughed at Nick's soft snoring. He situated himself comfortably against Nick's chest, yawning widely, listening to Nick's heartbeat as he fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Nick's alarm woke him with its shrill beeping, and it took him longer than normal to fight his way to consciousness. When he swung an arm over to hit the snooze button, his hand landed on a folded sheet of paper. He sat up quickly, turning his alarm off and the lamp on his nightstand on. He grabbed his glasses and read the note.


Hey Nicky,

I'm sorry to leave without saying anything, but you're sleeping pretty soundly-the main sound being that of a large animal dying. Breathe Rite strips are going to be key to this relationship, seriously. BUT! Last night was maybe the best night of my entire life, and as awesome as this is I didn't think it would be all that intelligent for me to waltz into school wearing the same clothes as yesterday and smelling like you. So I've gone home to grab a shower and some sleep, but I'll come down to the gym tomorrow after practice and maybe we can grab dinner? And then I can grab you. (imagine suggestive eyebrow waggling here)

See you tomorrow.

Love, Greg


Nick reread the note three times, pausing over the words "relationship" and "best night" and "love." He could picture Greg's eyebrows, Greg's entire face, goofy and suggestive, and it made him smile. He couldn't stop smiling, actually, as he got out of bed, got dressed and made his way to work.

It had definitely been the best night of his entire life, and not just because the sex was amazing. Everything about Greg was amazing, and Nick had been honest and Greg hadn't run screaming into the night. Nick had taken a chance and put his heart out there, and Greg had taken it and held it close, held him close and Nick felt sure that Greg was never going to let go. It was an unfamiliar feeling, being so certain of something, but over the course of the day Nick grew accustomed to the fullness of his heart.

That afternoon practice went off without a hitch, everyone moving like a well oiled machine, and it was easily shaping up to be a perfect day.

Which, of course, meant that the shit was headed towards the fan at lightspeed.

Shane and Ben were the only players left in the locker room when Nick finally made it back to the gym. He was checking over the equipment when the conversation started.

"Hey, man, we're all going to David's house after school on Friday. His parents are going to Cabo for the weekend. You in?"

"Uh, yeah, that's cool. I have tutoring right after school, though, so I'll have to catch up with you."

"Tutoring for what?"

"Um, chemistry? Coach is worried about my eligibility, so he's making me tutor with Mr. Sanders."

"Dude, that guy is such a queer. He'll probably try to get his hands down your pants. Can't you get out of it?"

Nick's fists clenched at his sides, but he kept his distance. He was fairly certain that Shane and Ben hadn't seen him come in, so he moved to the other side of their lockers and just listened.

"Shane, shut up. He's not bad." Nick could hear the strain in Ben's voice. "And no, I can't get out of it. Coach said-"

"Yeah, sometimes Coach is full of shit, Ben." Nick heard Shane stand up. "Dude, just forget about your homo lessons with Professor Fag and come over to David's."

"Shane, shut the fuck up."

Nick started around the lockers, feeling the fight coming, and as he rounded the corner he saw Shane push Ben back into the lockers. Shane's fist connected with Ben's cheek with a crack, and he had reared back for another hit by the time Nick made it to them.

"Hey! Hey! Break it up!" He grabbed Shane's arm at the elbow and pulled him back, pushing him down onto the bench. Ben was slumped against the lockers with his hand over his eye when Greg walked into the locker room.

"What's going on?" Greg looked back and forth between Shane and Ben before looking at Nick.

"Can you check out Ben's eye, please? There's a first aid kit on the wall over there, it should have an ice pack in it." Nick lifted Shane by the elbow. "Shane and I are going to go have a conversation with Dr. Mathers."

Greg just nodded, heading for the first aid kit as Ben took a seat on the bench. Elise, the secretary, told them that Dr. Mathers was finishing up a meeting and that she'd be right with them.

"Sit down," Nick told Shane, motioning to the row of seats in front of Elise's desk. "I'll be right back." He walked into the teacher's lounge, grabbing a couple of band-aids, some antibiotic ointment and an alcohol pad from the first aid kit there, and took a few long, deep breaths before returning to the office.

Once there, he had Shane flex his hand a couple of times to make sure nothing was injured, then bandaged up his knuckles. When he was done, Shane looked up at his with absolute terror and, Nick was surprised to note, remorse.

"This is a lot more serious than getting benched, isn't it?"

Nick nodded. "I think so."

Dr. Mathers walked in, noticing Shane's knuckles immediately. "Follow me, Mr. Robertson. Coach Stokes."

Once inside Dr. Mathers's office, Nick took a seat next to Shane across from her desk and waited for her to say something.

"Coach, want to tell me what's going on here."

Nick took a deep breath. "After practice, I walked in on an argument between Shane and Ben Hughes. At first I didn't say anything, because Shane and I have had several conversations lately about using derogatory names, and I wanted to see if he was falling back into his old patterns." Nick looked over at Shane, who was fidgeting with a loose string on one of his band-aids. He continued. "Unfortunately, that was not the case, and after making two separate remarks about another teacher, when Ben tried to defend the teacher Shane got increasingly hostile, and as I approached them Shane punched Ben in the eye."

Nick sat back, rubbing his chin with his hand as Dr. Mathers turned her gaze to Shane.

"Mr. Robertson? You punched another student?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you made insulting remarks about a teacher at this school?"

"Yes, ma'am." When Dr. Mathers didn't continue, Shane looked down again. His voice was low and humiliated. "I called Mr. Sanders a queer and a fag, ma'am."

"Shane." Dr. Mathers shook her head and looked at Nick, who frowned. "Do you realize this is the fourth time you've been in my office for the exact same thing? Except this time, you used your fists to make your point. Do you realize that's grounds for expulsion?"

Shane's eyes widened as he sat forward. "Dr. Mathers, I-"

Dr. Mathers held up a hand. "I didn't say I was going to expel you. I said it was grounds for expulsion, and it is. However, whatever's going on here is obviously something a lot deeper, and I for one would like to get it taken care of before something worse happens." Dr. Mathers leaned forward in her chair. "I know there's a prevalent attitude among young men that homosexuality is a weakness, something to be laughed at and mocked. But with you, Shane..." Dr. Mathers looked down at the file in front of her. "With you, it's downright hostility. And I would like to understand where you're coming from, Shane. I would like to think it's more than just ignorance."

Shane fidgeted in his seat, but Dr. Mathers never looked away from him. Nick settled for looking back and forth between them, waiting to see who would cave first. Shane was an incredibly stubborn young man, but Dr. Mathers didn't seem to be bothered by his silence, choosing to just sit and wait for him to speak.

When he finally did, his voice was quiet and tense, and Nick leaned forward and watched the emotions play out across his face.

"My dad came out when I was nine. He and his 'boyfriend' have a house across town. They're blissfully happy." Shane's jaw was set, his voice bitter and angry. "My mom, on the other hand, basically drank herself to a permanent state of semi-consciousness. Then she discovered prescription pain-killers, and that. That was fun. She's been in rehab seven times. Does it say that in my file?" Shane looked up at Dr. Mathers, who surprised Nick by flinching slightly.

"Finally, she just gave up. She's somewhere in Europe right now, spending her alimony on pills and booze. She left the day after my eighteenth birthday. My dad wanted me to come live with him, but there's no way in hell. I have a shithole apartment that he pays for so I'm not living on the street. None of my friends know." Shane clenched his fists in his lap, and Nick could see the anger vibrating in his arms. "My life is a total mess because my father couldn't keep his dick out of some guy's ass, and I really couldn't care less about any of the other homos in the world."

"Shane." Nick's voice was warning, but Dr. Mathers held up a hand so he sat back and remained quiet. She took her glasses off and folded them in her hands.

"Shane, you know we have a psychologist on staff. If you want, I could arrange-"

"With all due respect, ma'am, I don't need to talk to anybody about anything. I'm fine. I don't need anyone's help."

Dr. Mathers shook her head and put her glasses back on. "Fine. That's your right, and your choice. I, however, have no choice but to suspend you for one week. It's the minimum punishment for physical violence, according to the handbook."

"What about football. Can I still play when I get back?" Shane and Dr. Mathers looked at Nick, who steeled his jaw.

"I told what would happen, Shane. You're benched for the rest of the season."

"Coach, you can't-"

"Shane, Coach Stokes's decision stands. Collect your things from your locker, please. You may return to the school next Tuesday morning. Also, I'll have to phone your father and let him know what happened."

"Good," Shane muttered under his breath, and Nick wondered how much of his future this kid was willing to throw away for the chance to punish his father. Shane left the office silently, and Nick looked at Dr. Mathers.

"It's amazing how easily we're broken by our parents, isn't it?"

Nick just nodded as she handed him a piece of paper, frowning. "You'll need to fill that out, since you were the one who witnessed the incident. Just bring it back to me in the morning."

Nick nodded again, taking the paper and making his way out of the office. All of his stuff was still in his office, so he jogged back to the gym. He really, really needed to see Greg.

When he opened his office door, he was surprised to see Greg and Ben sitting there.

"Oh, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I can come back." Nick moved back towards the door, but Greg held up his hand.

"No, it's okay. We were just chatting, actually. I think we're good." Greg looked towards Ben, who nodded. Nick was pleased to see he was smiling, a genuine grin despite the black-eye blossoming on his left side.

"Yeah, we're good, Coach. I should get home anyway, my mom'll be worried." Ben stood up and grabbed his backpack, stopping in the doorway to extend a hand to Nick. "Thanks, Coach. For everything, I mean."

Nick shook his hand, smiling. "Any time, Ben."

"Bye, Mr. Sanders." Ben offered a small wave.

"Bye, Ben. See you Friday?"

Ben nodded as he left the office, and Nick looked towards Greg. "What's Friday?"

"The next GSA meeting. Ben's going to join."

"Wow." Nick raised his eyebrows as Greg stood up and walked towards him. "That's awesome. What did you say?"

Greg was dangerously close to him, and Nick could feel his body heat through the thin fabric of his shirt as Greg's hand rested against his side. "Can we talk about this somewhere else? Like, maybe your place?"

Nick swallowed thickly. "Yeah, definitely. Just let me grab my stuff."


...



Greg had found his way into Nick's lap again, and Nick decided it was his favorite place for Greg to be. Greg kissed him lazily, as if they had all the time in the world, occasionally sucking Nick's lower lip into his mouth and biting gently. Nick slid his hand under the side of Greg's shirt, mapping each dip and curve of Greg's body. His other hand was curled loosely in the hair at the nape of Greg's neck, making slow circles with his fingertips, and every so often he'd hit a spot and Greg would moan into his mouth. Greg moved his mouth slowly across Nick's jawline, finally resting his forehead against the side of Nick's neck, and Nick made note of how perfectly their bodies fit together. He wrapped his arm around Greg's back and kept combing his fingers through Greg's hair.

"I didn't even know how good this would feel until yesterday, and now I don't know how I lived so long without it."

Greg nodded, his lips moving up and down against Nick's collarbone. "When he's older, we'll have to buy Ben a beer and thank him." Greg moved slightly, pulling Nick's arm from around him and threading their fingers together. "He's a good kid. I really like him."

"I'm glad you convinced him to join the GSA." Nick rubbed the back of Greg's hand with his thumb.

"Me, too. It'll be good for him, and I think it'll help the other kids, too." Greg kissed the side of Nick's neck, and Nick sighed, leaning his head against the back of the couch and closing his eyes. He was happy, ridiculously happy with Greg, but he couldn't stop thinking about Shane. He couldn't remember every seeing someone so young so full of rage, and his heart ached at what Shane's life must have been like, growing up with his parents the way they were. Still, Shane was ultimately the only person responsible for his actions, and Nick didn't regret his decision.

"Hey." Nick opened his eyes to find Greg watching him, brow furrowed. "I know you're worried about Shane, but maybe he once he gets back to school next week, you can try convincing him to see the school counselor again."

"If he comes back." Nick sighed again. "But, no, you're right. No harm in trying." He wrapped his arms around Greg's waist again, pulling him closer. "Okay, enough talking. I can think of much better things to be doing with our mouths."

Greg grinned as Nick leaned in to kiss him, but their lips barely brushed when the door bell rang. Greg pulled away and raised an eyebrow.

"Expecting company?"

"No, not exactly." Greg moved aside and Nick stood up, adjusting his clothes as he headed towards the door. He opened it to find Archie, Leise and Bobby.

"Hey. What's up?"

"I just got an email from Dr. Mathers. Shane Robertson is suspended for punching Ben Hughes?"

Nick nodded, leaning against the door.

"Dude. Okay, we're ordering pizza and you're telling us the whole story." Archie moved to walk inside, but Nick closed the door marginally and blushed.

"Actually, it's not really a good ti-"

"Hey, Nick, everything okay?" Nick followed Archie's eyes to Greg, standing behind him and looking more than a little disheveled. Ravished, actually, and painfully sexy with his bare feet and hair sticking every which way. Greg offered a little wave, and Nick turned back around to find Archie and Bobby staring, mouths almost agape, and Leise smiling appreciatively.

"Heh."

"Um, you know what, we can come back later and-"

"No, it's cool. Come on in, I'm actually really hungry." Greg walked up beside Nick and opened the door wider. They all filed in, Leise giggling as Bobby dialed the pizza place down the street.

Once they were all inside, Nick closed the front door and leaned against it, grinning. "Hey, why don't you call Sara? We can have a little coming out party."

Greg laughed, lacing his fingers with Nick's as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and they walked hand and hand into the living room, where their friends were waiting. Nick settled into the middle of the couch, and Greg sat next to him, swinging his legs into Nick's lap. As Greg called Sara, Nick started the story, rubbing small circles around Greg's ankles and feeling more like home than he ever had before.

***

"Greg, we're not buying Lucky Charms. For God's sake, you're almost forty years old."

Greg sighed and stopped the cart. "Okay, first of all? Lucky Charms are delicious, Wheat Chex are disgusting. End of story. But, in this particular instance, they are not for me. Well, not entirely." Greg picked up the box and pointed to the cartoon character on the front. "Notice anything familiar?"

"Is that Princess Sparklekins?"

Greg nodded. "Yes. Tell me that won't make your daughter squeal with glee."

Nick took the box from Greg and put it back in the cart. "I don't know who's more spoiled, you or her."

"Oh, whatever. You know it's you. Now go grab your oatmeal and Polident and let's go home. Sara and Warrick should be back with her in a few hours, and I want to get in some Nick and Greg Naked Time."

It warmed Greg's heart, the way he could still make Nick blush after all these years, but he did notice a spring in Nick's step as he made his way down the aisle. He was trying to decide between Apple Cinnamon and Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts when someone bumped his elbow.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Greg recognized the voice before he saw the face, and when he turned around he was extremely glad to find his guess had been correct.

"Brandon Lillie! I haven't seen you since graduation. How are you?"

Brandon blushed, holding up the fourth finger on his left hand. "Not exactly Brandon Lillie, anymore," he explained, smiling as the silver ring glinted in the fluorescent light.

Greg grinned. "Congratulations, kid. How long?"

"Um, four years? Four and a half, actually. He's around here..."

As if on cue, a cart came around the corner, filled to overflowing with diapers and formula and, Greg noted with some amusement, Lucky Charms and Wheat Chex. Brandon smiled widely at the driver of the cart, but it took a moment before Greg recognized him.

"Ben Hughes."

Nick's voice from behind startled him and he nearly dropped his Pop-Tarts. Nick held out his hand and Ben shook it enthusiastically. It was then that Greg saw Ben's ring, identical to Brandon's, and then the diapers and the carrier in the front of the cart all clicked, and Greg smiled so widely his cheeks hurt.

"Is this your baby?" Nick moved around to the front of the cart for a better look, and Greg followed. Nestled in a downy pink blanket was the most precious baby Greg had seen since Elise was born.

"Yeah." Ben was absolutely beaming. "She's five and a half weeks old." He reached out a stroked a finger gently across her cheek, causing her to open her eyes and regard them all with vague interest.

"Lindsay, meet Mr. Sanders and Coach Stokes." Lindsay looked at them, blinked once, yawned widely and promptly fell back to sleep. Brandon laughed.

"Don't take it personally."

Greg laughed and reached down to touch her tiny hand. "Oh, we won't. Elise wasn't interested in anything except the bottle and her ladybug rattle until she was two months old."

Brandon looked at Ben, then at Nick. "You guys have kids?"

Nick reached around and took his wallet out of his back pocket. "Just the one." He slid the photo out of the plastic sleeve and handed it to Brandon. "Jennifer Elise Stokes-Sanders. She turned six three weeks ago, but that's from when she was the flower girl in a friend's wedding last year."

Brandon handed the photo to Ben, who took it smiling. "She's beautiful."

Greg wound his arm loosely around Nick's waist. "Well, she has good genes." Nick smiled at him as he took the photo back from Ben.

"We actually have to get going, we're supposed to pick her up in a few hours. But, it was really good to see you both."

Ben stuck out his hand and shook Nick's again. "Same here, Coach."

Nick laughed. "Just Nick, please. And Greg."

Ben nodded. "Nick, then. You know, we should get together sometime, grab dinner. I'd like to hear how the old team is doing."

Greg pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and Brandon fished a pen out of his messenger bag. "This is my cell phone. Give us a call." He looked up, smiling at Ben. "We've owed you a beer for a long time, actually."

Brandon shot him a confused look, but Ben took the paper and slid it into his shirt pocket. "It was good to see you, Mr.-Greg. We'll call soon."

Greg watched them as they walked down the aisle, Brandon's hand resting casually on the small of Ben's back, and smiled as Nick reached down and kissed him on the cheek near his ear.

"Did you say something about Nick and Greg Naked Time?" Nick licked the shell of Greg's ear to punctuate his question, and Greg shivered.

"Definitely. Let's go home."

***