Title: Just Breathe
By: Dr FooFoo
Email: dog.symbolism@gmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: sniffly!Nick ficlet written in writing class. We were given the first couple words and twenty minutes to write whatever we wanted.

***

The shadow on the floor seemed as unreal to Greg as anything else; the colourful fish swimming calmly around on endless routes in the aquarium, Nick sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling gently with every breath, mouth slightly open and legs tangled with Greg's under the covers. The shadow was just that of a bird, though one of unusually large size, sitting perched on the balcony on the other side of the sliding glass doors.

Greg supposed it seemed strange because usually Nick pulled the blackout curtains over the door before going to bed, to at least give the illusion of nighttime during the day. But, Greg guessed, Nick had come in early that morning with a cold and had fallen directly into bed, so the later afternoon sunlight shining across the room and streaking golden lines on the dark blue sheets was inevitable.

Greg watched the change in the rays without moving his head too much -- he didn't want to wake up Nick, but he liked the ways the clouds blew across the sky and caused the light to exhibit almost water-like qualities on the bedroom carpet. Greg looked up and out the doors again at movement and watched the bird preening itself on the railing outside. It was a red-tailed hawk; he'd learned that from Nick's random albiet educational bouts of ornithological genius.

Greg looked down at Nick again as soon as the memories of those talks sprang to mind and his eyes widened when he realised Nick was awake and staring at him. Nick smiled slyly and Greg leaned down to kiss him lightly. Nick pulled away and rolled over to face the balcony.

"I'm sick, remember?" he said, sniffling loudly for effect. Greg grinned and shimmied closer, pressing a couple of kisses to the back of Nick's neck, and received a faint shiver that made his groin stir.

"If I get sick too, we can have hot, sick sex all day and collapse in the living room on our way to get chicken soup," Greg suggested hopefully, wiggling slightly against Nick's back and stroking a hand along his side and down his leg lightly. Nick made a noise that sounded like the lovechild of a cough and a laugh and shook his head.

"You hafta work..." he mumbled, snuggling into the blankets and closing his eyes again. Greg tried to distract him from sleep by rubbing on him some more, but Nick was already drifting off into the sweet abyss again, so he gave up and stretched out his arms and legs.

Yawning with a little squeak, Greg rolled out of bed and gathered some clothes together, then leaned back down over the sleeping Nick and kissed his forehead lightly. Nick murmured something incoherent in his sleep and Greg smiled before standing back up.

"See ya, Nicky..."