A Little Relief
Part 13
Neither Brian nor Nick heard the others leave, they were both too wrapped up in their own little world. Nick shifted slightly, trying to move so that he was no longer resting all his weight on Brian, worried that he was crushing him. Brian tightened his grip on him, not allowing him to move far, unwilling to let their bodies separate.
Nick recognised Brian's fear that he was going to leave him, and responded by tangling their legs together and pressing a soft kiss at the point where Brian's neck met his shoulder.
Brian sighed contentedly and turned his body to face Nick more.
"Nicky?" he whispered.
"Hmm"
"Thank you." He whispered.
Nick stared back at him, recognising that Brian was thanking him for more than just moving off of him. He found he was too choked up with emotion to reply, so he just smiled warmly and kissed Brian softly on the cheek before snuggling back down, allowing himself to be surrounded with Brian's love.
Brian could also feel Nick's love, radiating off of him and seeping through his skin, sending little strands of warmth through his body to his heart, repairing the shattered organ. Brian closed his eyes and let his mind drift, allowing his feelings and emotions free from the tight rein he had been keeping.
Images flooded his mind, some painful, some happy. Images of friends and family, of those he loved, and those he had lost. Images of LeighAnne when they had first met, their first date together, playing with Tyke and LittyLeigh, waking up from surgery to see LeighAnne's face staring down at him. These gave way to the last time he had seen her, as she had turned around and left him standing in the foyer of their house in Atlanta, which had suddenly seemed too big and lonely.
Brian barely even felt the tears slip from his eyes as he continued to drift, lost in his own sea of memories. Eventually, the painful memories gave way to other, happier ones. The first time he met Nick, their many late night marathon Nintendo sessions (which were inevitably followed by a cussing out from Kevin). The time they changed all the clocks in Kevin's room, making him 30 minutes late. The way Nick laughed when he was happy, the scared look on his face when Brian told him that he had to have open-heart surgery. The sound of his voice on the phone before he was anaesthetised, followed by the foggy memory of his mother holding a phone to his ear, Nick's relieved voice coming through. All the times they had been there for each other, held each other and cried, letting the other be the support that they needed.
A small part of his brain realised that they hadn't done that recently, especially since he had gotten engaged, and he realised just how much he had missed it. He needed Nick, just as much a Nick needed him, and only now could he realise this fact. The knowledge that he had pushed Nick away in favour of Leigh forced him to realise that he had hurt himself and Nick badly, and that was one of the reasons why things had been so strained between them recently. Especially since Leigh complained that he was neglecting her in favour of Nick. He wondered whether she had done it intentionally, pushing a wedge between them so that he would only spend time with her. The answer he came up with was a resounding Yes. Of course she knew. After all, why else would she have done it?
He tightened his arms around Nick, pushing her out of his mind. She was gone now, and he was glad. He still had Nick, and he knew that as long as he had that, he was safe.
Nick sensed a change in Brian's emotions, and opened his eyes, surprised to find the tears on Brian's cheeks. He reached up and brushed the tears away, causing Brian to open his eyes. Nick was startled by the piercing blue gaze, which seemed to have cleared and brightened from the stormy grey hue his eyes had held before.
"I'm sorry I pushed you away Nick." Brian whispered. "I couldn't see what she was doing to me, to us. She always hated it that you were just as important, if not more, to me than she was. She pushed me away from you, and I let her."
Nick gently pressed his fingers to Brian's lips to silence him before he spoke.
"It's all in the past Bri. You were in love, and that sometimes makes you blind. I knew what was happening, what she was doing, and so did the others, but I told them that as long as you were happy, then that was all that mattered. I won't lie and say that I was happy with it, but sometimes these things happen, and I wasn't about to try and stop it. After all, she had every right to expect to be your number one priority, she was going to be your wife."
"Was being the operative word there." Brian put in.
"Exactly. Past tense. As in; over and done with. She left you, and you're better off without her anyway, and aren't you glad you found all this out before you married her?"
Brian laughed at that, realising that what Nick was saying was true. Maybe her timing hadn't been so bad after all.
"Yeah Nick, you're right. I guess I had a lucky escape huh?"
"Damn straight."
After that comment, Brian began to laugh again, as he took in the fact that he and Nick were together in bed, naked and still almost fully hard. "Or maybe not so straight." Brian told him, before rolling over and pressing his lips against Nick's.
Nick was momentarily confused, until he realised what Brian was implying, and he laughed as well, until he felt Brian's lips against his own, all thoughts of humour flew from their heads as they instinctively shifted closer together and allowed their kiss to heat up.