It's funny, how someone can become your life when you're not looking. Nate had only been living at Erik's for a little over a month, but god, it felt like forever. They'd already fallen into a comfortable routine, making things seem normal, even preferable. In his 17 years of existence, Nate had never been happier than he had these past few weeks. He spent almost every waking moment with Erik, and Sean had grown to eventually accept the fact that he and his brother were, in fact, a couple, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. In fact, they'd gotten to the point where they could hold hands around him. They could even get away with kissing on the cheek every once in the while. Lip action was still pushing it, but Nate was willing to bet in a couple more weeks Sean would be cool with even that.
He spent his mornings with Erik, sometimes lucky enough to wake up to a few groggy kisses if Sean wasn't up yet. Then Erik would walk him to his locker , well, technically their locker now. Nate used to share a locker with Amber, but she'd moved out after their little falling out, and since Erik always insisted on walking him to his locker anyways, it had just been the logical thing for Erik to move his stuff into Nate's locker. Then Erik would walk him to class, always insisting to carry his books in one hand and hold hands in the other. At first, he'd been more than a little embarrassed to have someone else carry his stuff. Especially since it was Erik, which meant they got looks everywhere they went. Same with the holding hands thing. By now, though, it had turned into something that he enjoyed, even looked forward to. It was like their way of telling everybody else that they were with each other without having to say anything. Of course, there would always be the occasional over-aggressive slut that would try hitting on Erik the second he wasn't physically attached to Nate, which was another reason he'd come to like the whole holding hands thing. Stupid whores. They never learned.
All that aside, though, it really was nice to just be able to hold hands with Erik and actually 'be' with him in public instead of trying to hide it.
School was really the longest part of his day, aside from Math, which he shared with Erik. He found himself counting down the minutes till 4th period, where Sean had agreed to switch seats with Erik after a little badgering. Then Erik would attempt to translate whatever the teacher had put on the board for Nate, which worked out surprisingly well most of the time. For the first time, Nate was actually passing Math with a B+. Which was amazing, really. He'd really only ever hoped to pass Math with a C-, never actually get anything close to a B.
Then Lunch would come, and Erik would take them out to eat someplace, paying for both thier meals despite Nate's best efforts. Lately they'd been frequenting Chick-Fil-A, since they'd both agreed hands down that the place had the best waffle fries in the city.
Then, despite his best efforts to persuade Erik otherwise, they'd go back to school and finish off their last three classes.
Afternoons varied depending on the day. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays he had to work at Ruby's Diner, which Erik always picked him up and dropped him off at. Erik had insisted on keeping study dates, the two of them spending a few hours at the coffee shop every Wednesday afternoon. They'd made it a goal to try everything off of the menu, always ordering different drinks and sharing with one another. Currently, they were about 1/15 of the way through, which wasn't all that bad considering how many different drinks the place actually offered. Most of the time, Nate managed to divert the topic of interest from homework. Every once in a while, though, when he got a bad Quiz grade, Erik would insist on cracking down on the books, which was still fun since it always tended to end in him trying to force Erik into some sort of sexual bribery.
And, of course, then there was Fridays. Nate had naturally assumed that there'd be no more movie nights after they'd moved in with Sean. He'd been pleasantly surprised, however, to find that Erik had found a new spot to host movie night. The abandoned parking lot they'd met at in the past had ended up being the perfect alternative to Erik's rooftop. They'd had to go out and buy a whole collection of Disney movies just for the occasion, which was more than alright with Nate considering they tended to only hold their interest for the first 5 minutes. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to coax any 'quality time' out of Erik during those nights like what had gone down between them in the park, but he'd come to enjoy the cuddling and mild make out's Erik had been willing to meet him half way on. They were nice in a different way than all the hot and heavy shit. It was more...heart-felt , deeper. Every touch meant something different, expressing things that words never could. It was like a different language of its own, and he was beginning to learn what each one meant, slowly but surely.
And, despite the fact that Nate had already almost managed to burn down the kitchen twice, Erik had insisted on teaching him how to cook. Nate figured it was probably his way of making up for the fact he wasn't living with his mother anymore since she'd normally be the one to teach him how, so he went along with it for the sake of Erik's conscience. Honestly, though, with how small the kitchen was, Nate couldn't really complain. With all the brushing up they ended up doing with one another, half the time he ended up eating dinner across from Sean with a partial hard-on. Which was just great. Obviously.
One day out of every week, Erik would surprise him with something. One time it had been flowers. Another a belt buckle. He always made a point to vary the day he gave it to him, making sure to leave it somewhere he knew Nate would find it with a little note attached. It was nice, romantic in Erik's own way, which was saying a lot. It was more than difficult to do anything romantic with Sean hanging around the apartment the majority of the time, but Erik had always managed somehow.
Nate's favorite part of living with Erik by far, though, had to be the midnight walks. After the first night in the park, they'd religiously started going on walks around the same time every night. It was never really something they both verbally agreed upon, it just kind of happened. To be honest, the following night after their first walk through the park, Nate had woken up around the same time on purpose, hoping Erik would be up. Sure enough, he'd gone through the glass door, only to find Erik leaning against the apartment wall, an expectant look on his face as if he'd been waiting for him. He'd held true to his word, though, never having lit up after their little talk.
The walks were nice, not only because it gave them some time alone with one another away from Sean, but because the rest of the world was asleep. At midnight, there were barely any cars on the streets, and definitely no one in the park. It made everything seem so much more intimate. In those moments, he felt like he could tell Erik anything, and he did. They talked about anything and everything, sometimes shit Nate had never thought he'd tell anyone, even Amber when they were good friends. Their walks didn't end like it had the first time, at least not to that extent. Most of the time, they'd just end up lying on the grass, with Nate's head on Erik's chest, till either Nate fell asleep of Erik insisted they go back so that Nate could do just that.
Yeah, so maybe Nate wasn't getting all that much sleep anymore because of their nice little walks, but it was so worth it. When it was just the two of them like that, walking around at midnight, Erik would always have that genuine smile of his Nate had only seen glimpses of before on his face. That was, without a doubt, what made everything worth it. He never quite looked as peaceful or at ease when Sean was there with them back in the apartment, or when there were other people around.
Yup. Right now, his life seemed perfect. Honestly. Sometimes he forgot that he was living with Erik because things had fallen through with his mother and Erik had some creepy stalker following him around. Things just felt like he'd moved in with his boyfriend because he'd wanted to, because Erik was the one person that made him happiest, and knew how to make him feel comfortable when he was insecure, or cheer him up when he'd had a crappy day. There really hadn't been any more weird stalking shit going on lately ever since he had moved in with Sean and Erik, but Erik still seemed to think whoever was behind all this, presumably his father, still wasn't finished with them yet.
He still couldn't believe this was his life, though. He would've been more than content to live out the rest of his life like this, with maybe the exception of Sean being there. In a way, though, he'd kind of grown to like him. I mean, he was still an asshole, without a doubt, but Nate had come to like how protective he was of Erik, even if that sometimes meant he was on the receiving end.
There was, however, one thing he really wanted to fix. Things with Amber had ended so horribly. He felt bad, because, after looking back on it, he had handled things wrong. He wouldn't trade what he had with Erik for the world, but he had kind of tossed her to the sidelines when Erik had come into the picture.
Buzz. Buzz.
Reaching into his pocket, Nate pulled out his cell phone. He really didn't get many texts anymore, seeing as he lived with Erik so they really didn't have a use for texting and him and Amber still weren't talking.
Hey, It's Amber. I tried calling your house...and your mom told me what happened. You should have told me! I mean, I know we're fighting and all, but still! Nate, you know I'm always here for you, no matter what. So I guess this means you're living with Erik now. We've got a lot to catch up on. So I'll be there in 10. Erik already gave me directions.
Nate glanced across the dinner table at Erik, who had a more than suspicious smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
"You set this up, didn't you?" Nate asked, his voice ebbing with suspicion.
Erik tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Nathaniel." The look on his face, though, said exactly the opposite.
"You do realize I can pretty much tell when you're lying to me by now, right? I mean, I'm practically around you 24/7."
Erik chuckled, taking another bite of the lasagna Nate had made. Yeah. He'd actually made it, with Erik's assistance of course. Still, though. Only a month ago he hadn't been able to cook macaroni without burning it to shit.
"Well, then, I suppose I'm going to have to start being honest with you."
Nate snorted, rolling his eyes and flashing him a toothy grin. "Yeah. Whatever. Seriously, though. Thanks for this. I mean, I know-"
"Hey, you two fuckers want to fill me in on what the hell is going on." Sean interjected, banging his fist on the dinning room table to get their attention.
"Ah, my brother, quite the poet." Erik drawled, glancing over at Sean. "Nathaniel is having a guest over. In fact, I do believe you know her. Amber, the girl you tried to rape. I do expect that when she comes over, you provide her with a full apology, Sean, and make her feel as comfortable as possible. She's aware that you will be here, and I had to promise her that I'd be with you at all times to ensure nothing similar to your last encounter with her transpires."
Sean cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly in his seat and glancing around.
"I, uh, I don't think having her over is a good idea. I mean, we've got...homework to do...and shit to clean up."
Erik's eyes narrowed, suspicion marring his features. "This is not open for discussion, Sean. Amber is coming over. You will give her the apology you owe her and behave cordially during her stay. Undertsood?"
Sean shot his brother a nasty glare, cursing out loud and grabbing his dinner plate . "Whatever. Don't expect me to be chatty or some other shit. "
Erik averted his gaze back to Nate, raising an eyebrow. "Well, this should be rather interesting.
Yeah. Interesting as in a disaster waiting to happen.
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Nate could barely make out the sight of a hot pink slug bug parked in the apartment complex through the living room window. Yup. It was definitely Amber. And, as was accustom for her, she'd arrived late. Some things really never did change.
Taking a deep breath, Nate tried to calm his nerves, glancing at Erik one more time for assurance, who'd taken a seat on the living room couch.
"Don't worry, Nathaniel. She misses you just as much as you've missed her. Unfortunately, she's also just as stubborn, which is why my intervening was rather necessary."
Nate nodded, taking another deep breath before opening the door.
"NATE!" Amber let out a loud, shrill noise, launching herself at Nate the second the door flew upon. Nate stumbled back a few steps, the breath completely knocked out of him as he tried to remain upright.
"Hi....Amber." He managed to breathe out, barely able to breathe under her death-grip of a hug.
After a few seconds, though, she stepped back, obviously realizing she was choking the hell out of him.
"Sorry. I'm just sooo excited to see you. I mean, we haven't spoken in such a long time and you're all grown up and stuff, on your own living with your boyfriend, and I'm so proud of you for finally coming out to your mom! I still can't believe you didn't tell me she kicked you out, though!"
Nate nodded, realizing how much he'd missed her as he pulled her into the apartment. "I know. I know. I should have called you or something, but, like, I dunno....after the fight and everything, I just didn't want it to seem like I only talked to you when I needed your support or some shit."
Amber rolled her eyes, resting her hands on her hips. "Oh, c'mon, Nate! We've been friend for forever. And, yeah, I know I overreacted to your relationship with Erik. You know how jealous I can get, though. I'd just never had to share you before, and I just didn't know how to handle it."
Glancing over at the couch, Amber waved at Erik cheerfully, obviously having already talked to him about all this. "I should've just been happy for you both. And I'm sorry."
"No, Amber, I'm sorry. I mean, I was the one who basically ignored you and then was almost responsible for you getting raped."
Amber wrinkled her nose slightly, glancing around until her eyes locked on Sean's, who'd just entered from the bedroom.
"Well, well, look who it is. So I hear you have something to tell me."
Sean's jaw tightened as he regarded her with an odd wariness. "Yeah, I'm sorry, alright. I shouldn't have tried to rape you or whatever. It's not like I even did anything, though."
"Yeah, but you sure as hell would have if Zack hadn't intervened!"
Nate froze, his eyes locking with Erik's for a second before turning back to Amber. "Wait, what? Zack was there?"
"Yeah." Amber said, still pegging Sean with a hard glare. "He's the one who saved me....actually, he's kind of also the reason I got into the fight with you. I mean, he kind of tried to get me to convince you to dump Erik after he played Hero and all."
Erik stood up, his whole body tense as he took a few steps towards his brother, his tone hard.
"Sean. Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I did." Sean barked defensively, crossing his arms in front of him. "I told you about how I almost raped Amber, and how it was a mistake."
"But you neglected to mention the fact that Zack was involved. Tell me, Sean, why is that?"
Sean suddenly averted his gaze to the ground, his eyes shifting nervously back and forth as he swallowed hard. "I, uh, well...I mean, I know the guy."
"How?" Nate carefully took a few steps towards his boyfriend, wrapping his hand around Erik's. He wasn't sure what Erik was hinting at, but whatever it was was making him mad as hell.
"We, ah, we met when I stopped by Ruby's Diner to visit Nate."
Nate flinched at the memory, remembering how Sean had broken his finger and Zack had come to break up the little spat.
Erik's eyes flared, his words dripping with suspicion as he spoke. "Do not mock me, Sean. You simply meeting Zack in a chance occurrence would not explain why you chose to omit the fact that he was present during your attempted rape."
Sean cursed under his breath, obviously cornered in whatever he'd been trying to hide. "Fine, alright. Look, before I was cool with you dating Nate and all that shit...I, uh, I kind of teamed up with Zack or whatever. See...that night, when he took Nate to that party...he, uh, he actually pretended to have sex with him. I just...I gave him some date rape drugs so he could slip them into Nate's drink and fake the rest-"
In a split second, Erik had easily slipped out of Nate's grasp, flying across the room and tackling his brother. In a flash, the two were rolling around on the ground, beating the shit out of one another. Sean had size, but Erik was....more than angry. He didn't even look like he could feel the punches Sean was throwing, his movements unfaltering as his fist made contact with Sean's face.
"Erik!" Nate lunged forward, trying to pull the two of them apart. This was bad. This was so fucking bad. He'd never seen Erik this angry. Ever. Not even when he'd had his apartment trashed, and all his Mom's books had been torn to shit.
Trying to pull them off of one another, he couldn't even get them to budge. Oh. Shit. This was so not good.
"Amber! Help!" Nate yelled over his shoulder. A second later, she was at his side, grunting and pulling with him as he tried to separate the two...well, more so just pull Erik off of Sean. Between the two of them and the fact that Sean was pretty much just defending himself instead of actually fighting back, they were able to pull Erik off of Sean, but just barely.
"How the hell could you do this! How could you fucking do this to him, knowing how much he means to me?" Erik sounded torn, a mixture of immense pain and hatred in his voice. His whole body was shaking, itching to make Sean pay for what he had done.
For the first time, Nate realized he'd never really heard Erik cuss, not like this. Because cussing meant a lack of control, which meant losing your composure. And Erik had only ever lost his composure one other time.
Sean didn't say a word, his eyes never leaving his brother's as he swallowed hard.
"You know how happy he makes me, how different things are now than before I was with him! We've been living here with you for over a fucking month, Sean! And you never once said a thing about this!"
Slowly, Erik's breathing slowed, his body relaxing, though only slightly. When he spoke, though, his words were laced with venom, pure hatred in his eyes as he regarded his brother.
"I swear, if you even look at him the wrong way, I'll make sure he's the last thing you ever see. You...you are not my brother."
For the first time, Sean looked shocked, his face going lax.
"Erik, please, you can't-"
"I just did." Erik straightened himself, turning slightly to Nate and Amber who were still clinging to him like he might hurl himself at Sean again.
"Both of you, go wait in the car, now."
Fuck no. Nate was so not leaving Erik alone with Sean after all that had just gone down. He was already in deep shit for murdering his mother. He didn't need to add killing Sean to the list.
"No fucking way, Erik. You're too angry right now to-"
"I don't want you around him."
Nate noted that Erik had stepped between the two of them, physically putting himself in between Nate and Sean.
"Erik, he's not going to hurt me with you around."
"This is not up for debate, Nathaniel."
"Then at least let Amber stay here with you."
"No. I want her with you."
Gah. He was so not going to even get an inch of leeway here. Erik had gone into overprotective boyfriend mode, and wasn't settling for anything less than what he deemed to be safe for Nate.
"Fine." Nate agreed, cursing under his breath, "but if you're not out in five, I'm coming back in." Hesitating slightly, he squeezed Erik's hand, giving him one last parting glance. "Please, Erik, just don't do anything stupid, alright."
Erik nodded, his features statuesque as he turned his gaze back to his brother.
Grabbing Amber's hands, Nate pulled her towards the door, leading her out to Erik's black corvette. This was so crazy. So...he hadn't had sex with Zack after all. The guy had just slipped him the date-rape drug and convinced him he had...which was...well, just freakin' screwy. He had to admit, though, it was better than the alternative possibility that he'd actually slept with Zack...which meant he was still a virgin. It also meant, though, that Erik's brother had betrayed them. That fucking bastard! He wasn't so much mad at the guy for his sake as he was for Erik's. That guy was pretty much the only family Erik had left, and he'd just gone and betrayed him like it was nothing.
Nate had trusted him, too, slept in the same bed with him, looked across the diner table at the guy ever night as they'd eaten meals together.
And Zack...he hadn't thought Zack was even capable of something like this. He was going to have to pay him a visit...soon.
And where the hell were they going to live now? Erik had more than enough money for the both of them to rent an apartment, but with the whole stalking thing unresolved, safety in numbers was still the best way to go after how easily the stalker had broken into Erik's last apartment.
He was hoping Erik wouldn't try and cash in on the promise he'd made for Nate to apologize to his mom, at least not right now. He didn't want to go back to living with his mom...alright, well maybe it was more just that he wanted to live with Erik. But still.
"Wow, that was crazy, Nate! I can't believe Sean did that! No, wait, second thought, I can. I mean, he did almost try and rape me. Still, though, that's pretty complex thinking for him. I mean, seeing as he's pretty much a freakin' idiot and all. And him and Zack, wow, I never would've guessed. Zack just seemed so...innocent, ya know? I guess this means he was probably just playing me when he told me you and Erik weren't good for each other."
"Yeah.." Nate mumbled distractedly, his mind back on whatever was going down in the apartment between Erik and Sean. Crap, well didn't his complicate things a hell of a lot more. No doubt Erik had explained the reason behind him and Nate living with Sean to be because they were friends. Hopefully Amber wouldn't put two and two together and realize Erik and Sean were brothers, not friends.
"It was weird, though. He actually looked guilty for doing what he did to you. Which is pretty much impossible, seeing as it is Sean. But still....Hey Nate?"
Nate turned around slightly in his seat, trying to focus on what Amber was saying. "Yeah?"
"So, this means you guys aren't going to be living here anymore, right?"
"Well, probably. I can't exactly see Erik wanting to live with Sean after what just went down."
A sly smile slowly spread across Amber's face. "Good! Well, I mean, it's not good that Sean did what he did, but you're still a virgin! Unless you and Erik..."
"No!" Nate cut in, flushing furiously. "I mean, of course we did do some stuff...but not that."
"Anyways, I was thinking. Why don't you guys come live with me, at least for the weekend. You know my parents pretty much adore you since they've known you since you were in diapers, and we can just tell them Erik is..like...a mutual friend of ours."
Nate opened his mouth, about to respond when he heard a door slam shut. Snapping his head to the right, he could hear Amber grow quiet beside him as Erik slowly made his way down the walkway to the car, a few suitcases in each hand.
The look on his face totally killed Nate, made him just want to pull Erik into a hug and tell him everything was alright till he was sure he felt better. Except Amber was there. So that really wasn't an option. Things would just be awkward then.
Erik was quiet as he put the suitcases into the trunk and then got into the driver's seat, no one saying a word as he pulled the car out of the parking lot.
After a few minutes, though, Amber spoke up, her words coming out in a jumbled blur as if holding them in for as long as she had had just about killed her.
"So, what happened?"
Erik's voice was monotone and flat when he spoke, his steely gaze directed at the road.
"Nothing that you didn't see before you left."
God. This was all just...so fucked up. He didn't want Erik to lose the only family he had left because of him.
"Erik, we can still live with Sean-"
"No, Nathaniel. I will never allow you to be in the same room with him again, aside from when law requires it at school. That would not be a wise choice, if for nothing more than Sean's personal safety." Yeah. Erik was still definitely mad as hell, even if his voice was steady and he looked composed. He would probably still try and choke the life out of Sean if he had to be under the same roof as the guy for more than a few minutes.
"Well, " Amber chimed in, her voice awkwardly chipper given what had just happened. "I was thinking maybe you and Nate could live with me-"
"Actually, I have some business to attend to. It does, however, sound like an excellent idea for Nathaniel to live with you for a few days. It seems I have something to see to out of state, so it would be good for him to have someone to watch over him while I'm gone."
What the fuck was he talking about? Nate was dying to ask him, but he could tell by Erik's tone of voice that this wasn't something he wanted discussed in front of Amber.
Nate stayed quiet as Amber gave Erik directions to her house, and they made the 25 minute drive there. Finally, though, when they arrived, the three of them got out of the car and Nate turned to Amber.
"Hey, uh, do you think I could have, like, five minutes alone with my boyfriend."
"Yea. Sure." Amber said, her eyes drifting suspiciously from Nate to Erik. "Just fill me in later." She whispered, winking at Nate before going into her house to probably cook up some lie about how Nate's parents were out of town and wanted him to stay over for a few days.
"So..." Nate said, turning to Erik and taking Erik's hands in his.
Erik was quiet for a minute, his eyes studying Nate's. Finally, though, he blinked, twice...wait...was he actually...Nate could see Erik's eyes well up, before a single tear slid down his cheek.
"Erik. I'm so sorry, I know Sean's your bother and you care a lot about him. We can go back if-"
"No." Erik's voice was hoarse as he closed his eyes, swallowing hard before opening them. "I failed you. I failed to protect you, from my own brother at that. I allowed him to live under the same roof as you for over a month, put you in danger the whole time-"
"Erik, you had no way of knowing-"
"I should have know, Nathaniel. He is my brother. I should have realized something wasn't right."
"Erik, nothing happened, though. I mean, he never even laid a hand on me-"
"That's not the point. I'm supposed to protect you. And I didn't."
"Erik, c'mon, that's not true-"
"If you weren't involved with me, none of this would have happened."
God. He was taking this so hard. Really, Nate was almost relieved to know Sean and Zack had only slipped him the date rape drug. After all, that meant he was still a virgin.
Squeezing Erik's hands gently, Nate did his best to comfort him. "Erik, it's really a small price to pay for being with you. I mean, you're amazing-"
"Yeah." Erik chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Amazing enough to put my boyfriend in danger, and let him sleep in the same bed as someone responsible for drugging him."
"Erik-"
"No, Nathaniel. Please, don't. Do not try and act like what I have allowed to transpire is acceptable. Because it is not. "
Erik paused for a minute, taking a deep breath to compose himself before continuing. The pain and guilt in his eyes was eating a hole in Nate's heart, it really was. And right now he would have given just about anything to make it go away.
"Sean gave me this before I left." Erik tensed up slightly, digging a hand into his pocket before pulling out a white piece of paper. Nate's brows furrowed in confusion as he took the paper in his hand.
What the hell? It was.... Erik's father's death certificate.
"Look at the date."
Nate did as he was told, slowly feeling the blood drain from his face. Holy. Shit. According to this, Erik's father had died 5 months ago. Which meant he couldn't possibly be behind all this stalking shit.
"I was wrong. I've been wrong this whole time. This person...whoever it is, wasn't my father. But they had to have known him, since they know what they do. There was another letter that came with this in the mail, saying my father's will is going to be read in couple days. Apparently, I'm mentioned in the will...Nathaniel, I have to go. There is a strong chance that the person, whoever it is, will be there as well."
Gah. Erik, alone, in a different state, with a stalker. Nate so didn't like the sound of that.
"Then let me come with you-"
"No, Nathaniel. It's not safe. I have to do this alone....I have already put you in danger once. I will not allow it to happen again. Nathaniel, you are the most important thing to me on this Earth, and I will do whatever is necessary to protect you. "
Oh, crap. Nate so didn't like the way his last words had an ominous ring to them.
"You're not the only one that wants to protect your boyfriend, Erik." Nate snapped, crossing his arms in front of him.
A small smirk tugged at the corners of Erik's lips as he pulled Nate towards him slightly, holding him in a loose embrace.
"You want to protect me?"
"Well, no shit! I mean, if something were to happen to you, Erik..." Nate's voice drifted off as realized he couldn't picture life without Erik. He really couldn't.
"Nathaniel, I swear to you I will come back to you in one piece. Someone has to look after you, right?"
Nate did his best to fake glare at Erik, despite the smile already spreading across his face. "Yeah. Whatever."
"Well..." Erik mused, his tone slightly lighter than before. "You do have my heart, Nathaniel. How about you protect that for me while I'm gone?"
Nate snorted, pushing Erik's chest lightly as he gave in to the smile tugging at his lips. "You're so freakin' cheesy. You know that?"
Erik chuckled, moving his hands to Nate's back as he pulled him closer. "Perhaps, but I'm only being honest."
I love you
Nate froze for a second as he heard the words echo in his mind. The truth in them, the fact that Nate knew without a doubt that he did, in fact, love Erik, scared the hell out of him. Honestly, he'd been suspecting as much for a couple of weeks now. Between the silly grin he got every time he was around Erik and the fact that he'd start singing in the shower for no apparent reason, it hadn't been all that diificult to figuer out. He could already feel an aching in his chest at the prospect of being away from him for even just a few hours, let alone a couple days.
He would do as Erik had requested and keep his heart safe while he was gone, because hey, if he was being honest, Erik had become a part of him somewhere between the study dates at the coffee shop and midnight walks through the park, and nobody or nothing could change that. Ever.