Work Text:
1982
3:45 am
And still, sleep eluded him. Awakening him in the deep trenches of the morning hours and waving him an infuriating goodbye. The whirring aircon, unserviced as it was, soundtracked the idle garden path his head led him down, bees buzzing like trumpets and lillies blooming loudly with every thought that popped into his head.
There were no bees and lillies in their hotel room. He didn’t want bees and lillies.
He wanted sleep.
Rare, nights like these were. The urge to retire to bed, when the party, some new party, had just been getting started. Far and few between, but they were there.
When the wretched yawn came, sneaking up to him and popping his 24-hour-energy front like a needle to balloon, he fought it back. They needed him, didn’t they? At their gathering?
Green eyes, roving keenly from the sofa in the corner had administered him the ointment to his turmoil, peeking softly from below the hair - now orange - so calmly he couldn’t object. I’ll join you.
He gripped the hand held out for him. Given to him.
Foolish not to.
And there as they lay, hours later, when the sheets had cooled, John let his fingertips glide loosely over the arm that peeked out from linen beside him, facing away from the taunting red glow of the clock and discerning what he could of the petite back that had moulded flush into his stomach.
Rustle. Gently breathing. A wisp of a snore. Hair mussed in the dip of their pillow.
Skin warm. An enduring flame that burned under his touch even while the person it belonged to was lost in the cool of deep sleep.
He shifted the wadded sheets away with a gentle tug and scooted minutely forward, resting his arm further into the other man, fingertips stroking down to the skin of the small belly as his forehead slipped forward in a timid nudge.
“Nick.” he whispered into the bowed neck.
No answer, and rightly so, no one could hear that, you git.
He harrumphed, before he pressed again.
“Nick.” louder this time, and the arm under his stroking hand stirred, followed by an intelligible mumble.
“Nick?”
A pleased, though confused sigh came in return, hand folding gently over his.
“John? Everything alright?” he coughed, words thick with sleep.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Nick’s neck muffled his words.
“Oh Johnny... “ Nick twisted his head back and pulled the lanky arm tighter to him, knowing under the scant red light that the other man had his brow furrowed, though he imagined the shy smirk creeping its way onto those lips.
“... that’s supposed to be my job!” John knew he was narrowing his eyes, but the warm fingers that had taken to slowly rubbing at his cheek betrayed the affection.
“Well, I stole it!” John harrumphed again, earning a sleepy giggle from the smaller man as John slid his arm down the cover to the small of his back.
And then, to the pliant skin lower down. A squeeze, almost imperceptible.
“Oh, so that’s what you really woke me up for, huh?” Nick laughed, pitching forward on the pillow, now one shared between them, to drop a kiss on John’s collarbone. Those lips - cherry ice cream sweet - always.
“No! I do want some shuteye!” Nick knew he was pouting.
“And what do I have to do with this?” he asked, while he already edged further in knowingly, face to face with the other man, removing a stray hair that poked his ear under the pillow fabric.
“Goodnight kiss, Nicky?” John bopped his nose on Nick’s.
“Was what we had before bed not enough?” the younger man teased, touching his lips to John’s all the same, swept by the warmth that buzzed out between them. Like bees. Bloody bees! John wanted to laugh.
“No, it wasn’t actually,” he twisted his head as they settled into a real kiss, bodies twirling by instinct as John’s unrest and Nick’s soothing balm poured out between them.
"Twat." Nick replied, rolling his eyes while they pulled apart a second. He grinned.
The discomfort of dampened sheets, and their jutting limbs as they pressed against each other, meant nothing when Nick fed him his kisses. Pure life tumbled out of those little rosy lips, leftover traces of lipstick and a candy for him to savour, for him to love.
And he always loved back the best he could. Nick moaned softly as they parted and pressed close for more.
More, more, it was always more.
Any time, any place, any way. As it always had been. Their lips always said the most.
They pulled apart after the eternal minute, breaths in step and sleep, yes, the sleep, sliding back into John’s conscious.
Relief. Love you, Nick.
He knew Nick would receive the words, stamped with a messy heart and a signature he was still coming to grips with. Some sort of mental air mail.
“Goodnight, Johnny.” the smaller man smiled, lips glistening, as he siddled back into that comforting warm curve, legs intertwined.
“Night, Nick.” the sleep had finally crept back into his voice, yawning softly as he pulled the linen up and settled themselves back into one loving tangle.
Hearts beat steadily.
You make me feel alive … and sleepy.
He smiled into the other man’s hair, drifting off as the glow of the clock now turned a comforting friend, spreading its light through the room as their breaths evened in the dark.