Title: Something You Said
By: Mickeylover303
Paring: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Summary: The moment was gone.

***

Greg sighed heavily, not waiting for the door the close behind him.

His steps were soft and deliberate, treading carefully on the pavement as he made his way to the parking lot. The street lamps were already on, hues of orange the only colour against a backdrop of blue - barren of any natural light.

There was no music playing, but headphones still encircled his neck. The cord was twisted, entangled within itself, rubber coating peeling away as copper wire shined against the night sky.

Greg continued to walk, tracing the white parking lines through his path, subconsciously avoiding various spots of light, wanting to hide. He was tired, breaking under the strain of work, betrayed by his own façade and torn beneath the surface.

Coming upon his car, he still wished he brought his jacket...even if what he translated as being cold was just his imagination. He reached into his back pocket, looking for his keys, wondering how he'd come to this, how he'd been reduced to someone he found unrecognisable in the mirror. But he lost track of his thoughts, stopping when he heard the slamming of a door.

Disrupting the silence he had taken refuge in.

He didn't need to look up to know who it was. He didn't need to think of a reason why he knew, couldn't find one. But whether it was impulse or desperation, he lifted his head and met Nick's eyes.

Uncharacteristically, Greg thrust both hands in his pockets, standing by his car as the need to get his keys was forgotten. Even in the dark, he felt exposed and his hands were the only part of himself that Greg could hide.

He was surrounded and overwhelmed by the older man, subdued and uncomfortable in Nick's presence. He felt like he was drowning, trapped in a maelstrom of emotions that wouldn't let him go. Twisting and turning inside of him, it was a struggle he knew he couldn't win.

The sensation only increased when Nick stepped out of the from beneath the street light, shadows dancing across his features as he began to walk toward Greg.

His strides were long, his stance purposeful, and Greg wanted no more than turn away and leave. He owed that much to himself. He knew he didn't have to give Nick another opportunity, he didn't have to stay.

Because there was nothing left for Greg to stay for.

But he decided not to leave, found that he couldn't leave. He couldn't deny Nick, didn't want to deny him and remained still as he waited for the other man to approach him.

Greg blamed it on that night, where he let his emotions get the best of him, waking up the next day to find an empty spot on his bed, placing his hand over an indent in his sheets that had once been warm. One mistake led to another and one drunken night had shattered the last three years he'd spent building a relationship with his best friend.

The awkward morning after had been avoided, forgotten, and it was silently decided that neither of them was going to bring it up. Because even though Greg tried, Nick wasn't willing to come to terms with it.

But then one day of silence turned into days.

Weeks.

Months.

And finally it came to this.

It had been almost a year since it happened and trying to talk to Nick had become like looking for something he'd never find. And ironically, when Greg was getting over it, Nick was suddenly in front of him, penetrating him with that all too familiar gaze. The other man was moving closer with no qualms about invading his personal space and leaving Greg trapped between Nick's body and his car.

Rendering him incapable of movement.

Nick tightened his lips and Greg waited for him to speak. He wanted to at least say something, prompt Nick to say anything but discovered he couldn't form the right words and wondered if Nick couldn't form them either.

Entranced, he watched as Nick slowly lifted his arm, moving his hand tenuously as he reached for the younger man's face. He rubbed his calloused palm against the soft skin, fingers shaking as he held Greg's cheek tenderly, gently as if Greg would break.

It was then Greg realised that he was shaking, too.

Though, he didn't attempt to move, didn't attempt to stop Nick. Greg's arms were hanging by his side as he let himself lean on the car. He wanted to lash out against the other man, push him away, pull Nick close to his body, do something other than remain still.

But he didn't, wouldn't, and wasn't sure if he even could.

Greg forced himself not to turn away. His felt his chest becoming heavy, the hairs on his arms raising as he licked his lips, parting slightly as breathed softly in anticipation. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, hoping for and whether or not it was the anxiety in Nick's eyes that fuelled it, but Greg suddenly found his mouth being covered by Nick's, chapped lips pressing hard against his own wet ones.

He saw Nick close his eyes, the older man leaning into the kiss as he placed himself on top of Greg, pushing him further into the car. But the younger man was afraid not to look, afraid everything would disappear if he blinked. He reached for the sides of Nick's shirt, clenching the soft material in his hands and pulling Nick's warm body closer to his own - slowly closing his eyes as he held on to make sure the moment wouldn't disappear.

Greg tightened his grip when he heard a moan - a gasp or whinge - something of which he couldn't place. He wasn't sure if it was his own and he didn't care if it was. Even if it signified deference and he knew that he was making another mistake, Greg didn't want to let go.

It didn't matter that Nick was wrong - that he was the one who started the initial shift between them - avoiding Greg and making no effort to be discreet about it. Greg already knew when Nick pushed him away. He already accepted the rejection and the strange feelings he was left with.

He knew he should have been angry, he should have been upset. Greg knew he shouldn't let Nick do this to him again for the simple reason that the first time had created a rift not only in their relationship, but in Greg, as well. And this time it would probably swallow him whole. Yet, Greg pushed those thoughts aside because he didn't have time to think about the consequences.

Not when forever was in Nick's arms.

But he was awakened by reality when Nick pulled away. What he once thought as eternity was just a few seconds, and Greg had to open his eyes as Nick's head rested on his shoulder, careful not to place all of his weight on the younger man. He shivered when Nick's hand trailed his face, following his chin to the curve of his neck, his fingers playing with the cord of his headphones and holding it loosely in his grip.

Greg savoured the silence that followed, a soft melody accompanied by the sound of their breathing - intertwining like a harmony that was music to his ears.

And for a brief moment Greg had pushed away the anger, the fear, the strange feeling that had momentarily become no more than a hole in his chest. But when Nick whispered in his ear, brushed his lips against it, Greg realised he had made his final mistake.

"I'm sorry."

Then Nick was no longer touching him, no longer painfully close to him, and Greg felt all the warmth dissipate from his body. He felt his hands return to his sides, unable to remove his gaze from the other man. Nick was walking away, light dancing on his face as he moved out of the shadows and returned to the light.

There was a harsh squealing noise - like paper rubbed sharply on glass - and Greg didn't realise he was sliding against the side of his car, eyes closed as he was left with whatever emotion Nick hadn't sucked out of him. The gravity pulled from beneath him as he hit the pavement. His arms were wrapped around his body, attempting to recreate that warmth, unaware of the gravel digging into skin, grating against the fabric of his pants.

Greg didn't know how long he sat there, waiting for nothing to happen. Minutes, hours, it didn't matter as he felt his body begin to shake faintly. Tremors were taking over him as he began to question reality, if Nick was really there, if he was just left in the wake of another fantasy, searching for an easier way out.

Because when he finally did look up, Nick was already gone.