Nikolay's head softly thumped against the table in his Music Theory. As per his usual morning ritual the virtue struggled to keep awake for the first class of the day when he had previously stayed up late, again, playing violin till an ungodly hour of the morning. He turned his head slowly over to look up at Damien who was tapping his pen against his lips. The usually meaningless action made Nikolay quickly glance away, mind tumbling towards thoughts he found much more interesting, yet hardly appropriate for class. Again, he glanced up at Damien, watching the pen tapping against his lovers lips slowly be pressed harder against flesh. It made Nikolay's heart race as memories started to flood back.
--
Disgruntled and thoroughly peeved, Nikolay trudged back to Damien's room. His disheveled appearance suggested he had been in some sort of scuffle, but it was only with himself. Music was not translating to paper as he had wished and the more Damien texted him to go to sleep, the more irritated he became even though he knew Damien knew well. It was a slow mounting build until Nikolay finally caved, unfulfilled with his musical endeavors and nearly grinding his teeth as he opened his boyfriends dorm door and dropped his bag unceremoniously. "Really?" He sighed harshly. "My phone was about to burst with the amount of-so called- urgent messages you had to keep sending. I'm here. What, pray tell, do you want?"
It wasn't as if Christmas Day was an occasion to dread. Sure, it had its awkward moments, sometimes downright dreadful moments, but Nikolay wasn't sure how to help Damien in the current situation. As he stood near the stove cooking eggs, Nikolay could hear the voices of his various family members in the room off to his left. Though, it was mostly just his grandmother asking question after question. He sighed, shoulders sinking while poking at the sizzling eggs in the frying pan. 'I'm so sorry, Damien.' He mentally apologized over and over as his grandmother, Betty, continued to ask Damien personal questions from the dining room.
"It's so nice to have you here, Damien. How are you and jelly bean doing?" Betty asked with a glint in her eye as she fluffed her blonde hair. She batted her eyelashes and leaned in closer to better hear Damien's answer, but it was a witch hunt and the hunters came in many forms. Damien was sitting at the end of the table being watched, stared and glared at when Nikolay walked in with the last of breakfast. The virtue rolled his eyes and placed the last plates down with the rest of the large breakfast and sat down to Damien's right. Ellen, Nikolay's mother, sat to her son's right and gave him a kiss on the cheek with some quiet admiration for breakfast while his father Craig, to his wife's right, quietly rearranged the plates right in front of his person. So far, Betty, Ellen and Craig were the least of Damien's problem. For the most part they liked Damien very much, Betty and Ellen adoring him. While Craig appreciated his existence from arms length, treating Damien like the ruffian coming to steal away his child. Damien's biggest concerns were the ones sitting farthest away with Cavalier, Nikolay's grandfather and Craig's father. And Vera; grandmother, mother and life partner to Nikolay, Ellen and Betty respectively. They were not smiling, but instead quietly observing, analyzing and judging Damien right down to the way he was breathing. Though they did break their stony expressions to politely thank their grandson for breakfast.
"Well Mister Fredricks," Cavalier suddenly spoke as he started to fill his plate and pass them down the line, "this is the first time we've met officially, but my grandson speaks highly of you, always has." He glanced over Damien as plates were passed around, silverware clinking against plates. "How is school going for yo--"
"Enough father." Craig suddenly hissed. "Leave the boy be and lets all eat before it gets cold." He fixed his glasses that had fallen down the bridge of his nose. "It would be a waste on Nikolay's part, making breakfast for us all." Craig glanced down at Damien and gave him a little nod. Cavalier let out a deep sigh and nodded once. "Well then why don't we let the guest say grace, hm? Does that sound fine with you Mister Fredricks?" Cavalier's head tipped back slightly as he looked down upon Damien from the head of the table. Nikolay had his head lowered and he nudged Damien's foot with his own under the table, giving him a worried look.
Three Idiots Walk into a Strip Club || Nik&Damien&Blake
"DAMIEN ALEXANDER FREDRICKS."
There was a loud, abrupt opening of said sin's dorm door. The noise was loud enough to bother the rest of the neighbors, but at that point in time there were no fucks to give and Nikolay was desperate to find a way out of this situation. Yes, this was for Blake. Yes, this was for his birthday and YES, it was going to be a...pleasant evening at a godforsaken strip club. Nikolay was already praying to some higher power to smite him where he stood.
"Dress me. Now." This was not how it was suppose to work. Nikolay grumbled and walked over to rummage in Damien's wardrobe.
"Kinky. You want cat ears or maid outfi--" Damien was cut off mid sentence by a barrage of clothing hitting him in the face. As the sin pulled the articles of clothing from his face, his vision was soon blocked by green eyes very close to his own and staring, or glaring, into his soul.
"This is no dirty sexualized matter! I'm completely blaming you for this debacle and I am at odds with what I am suppose to do or wear or everything!!" Nikolay impatiently ranted to the other and grabbing the clothing he had thrown to sort through.
"Why a strip club...?" He sounded on the brink of tears.
Nikolay slowly shuffled around his side of the room, folded whites in hand and placing them neatly into drawers or handing them on hangers. He sighed slowly, leaning against his dresser and keeping his head propped up by a hand against his forehead. He was hoping the fever would have subsided by now, but that was wishful thinking. He barely had the energy to get dressed into something proper and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt (Damien's), a t-shirt (also Damien's), and shorts (that were too small for Damien and were subsequently relinquished to Nikolay). He walked around barefoot as he milled around the room to rearrange his things and flopped onto his empty bed that was devoid of sheets except for a lidded box.
"Must retrieve laundry..." he groaned unhappily at the thought of needing to get up again and stared at the box in front of him. Nikolay reached out for the box and popped the lid off to reveal a tightly packed container of photos, letters and random trinkets. In his cleaning adventures he had stumbled, literally across the box. He had accidentally kicked it when he was walking with his bed sheets and cursed the Lord's name as he flopped onto a pile of dirty clothes. Thankfully, the contents remained inside and in order and Nikolay resisted the urge to unpack the contents.
The need to retrieve his laundry was more than enough of a resistance and Nikolay slowly got to his feet, slipped on some sandals and slowly made his way to the laundry room, using the wall as support half the time. He forgot to close his door.
"Elliot is currently occupying the shower. I'm using yours."
"Well I get to watch then."
Nikolay rolled his eyes and walked past Damien. This was the start of a long, long night ahead of them.
**
How did this even happen? The thought crossed Nikolay's mind in between angry hisses of disapproval whenever Damien insisted on distracting him from his shower. It wasn't as if male bonding was a horrible idea. In fact, Nikolay was looking forward to the occasion. He had hoped this would be a chance for Blake and Damien to bond properly--
"Damien Alexander Fredricks, keep your hands to yourself!" And a wet slap was heard in the bathroom. Damien retreated back to his seat on a chair pulled in from his dorm.
"I really can't help it Nikolay. You're naked in my bathroom. I only have so much self-control." Damien chimed in with a smug smile Nikolay could picture perfectly.
As he was remembering the concept of bonding he had to cringe slightly. How Addie convinced Blake was a mystery and Nikolay was still weary about the idea of them all sleeping in Damien's dorm within inches of one another.
Nikolay's concentration was broken yet again when he felt a hand suddenly slide up his back. He had never felt so aroused and infuriated in that single moment. Thankfully, being irate won over arousal and Nikolay was soon out of the shower, sopping wet, but not before throwing his wet hand towel onto Damien's face, grabbing his dry towel and exiting the bathroom cold and dripping wet.
They continued to argue, forgetting the time that slowly approached to their destined hour of bonding night. Nikolay was still half naked and wet while Damien was still Damien.
Nikolay Walker walked arm in arm with Damien Fredricks to a place they had no set destination to and at a speed which said they didn't care when they'd arrive. Nikolay smiled and hugged Damien's arm, content to have one of his best friends back. He let his head rest against the other's shoulder briefly, being the same height made it a less than comfortable display of affection.
"So, a tiny apartment all by your lonesome with only a bed as furniture? I wish I had known sooner, Damien. I would have...I would have let you stay at my house. " His voice got quieter, almost despondent as he stand back at his full height to look at the other. "You know you're always welcome. Doesn't matter what my parents think of you." His voice picks itself up and he sounds brighter, masking some hidden sadness.
"I'd let you have the bed of course, because that's the gentlemanly thing to do. I'd make sure you had a hot breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks and we'd play games and have fun all day. We'd spend all our time being happy. Or at least see how long we last before we're at each other's throats." Nikolay sort of lead the way outside, wanting to find a secluded spot for them to talk. Being a stickler for rules he wasn't about to just gallivant off grounds during the first week. He eventually decided on a particular patch of green to sit on, a slanted hill that kept them hidden, but within the boundaries of the school. Nikolay sat down and patted the grass next to him.
"But I'll visit you. I promise. I also promise to write, but you need to give me your address in a legible handwriting this time." he smiled sheepishly and laid back to enjoy what sun he could soak up between the clouds.
