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Nicky woke with his life’s worse hangover. He rubbed his face while groaning. It was the punishment for breaking a rule he had: never drink with Andy.
While feeling miserable he kicked the duvet to the side so he could get a glass of water or ten. The moment he sat up the entire world started to spin so he laid down again. He looked up at the ceiling and ran a hand over his body where he noticed that he was only sleeping in his boxers and a t-shirt. Normally that wasn't a problem, but he couldn't remember taking his clothes off before going to bed. But what really woke him was when someone moved next to him, which took him by surprise and he fell out of the bed straight down on the hard floor with a yelp face first. A sleepy face with messy curls appeared from under the duvet and Nicky was looking at Joe's beautiful face. At this point, they had only known each other for less than 15 hours.
“What are you doing in my bed?” Nicky wanted to know as he pointed at Joe.
“What are you doing on the floor?” Joe wanted to know as he looked down at Nicky.
Nicky started to run his hands down his body.
“Easy now,” Joe said in a calm tone. “We didn’t have sex. We just slept together.”
Nicky still didn’t believe Joe, so he once again ran his hands over his body.
"If we didn't have sex," Nicky said. "Where're my clothes?"
"That's actually a very good question," Joe replied as he sat up in the bed and ruffled his curls. "Bed hair?"
"Nicely tousled," Nicky replied. It made Joe smile. "But back to my question. Where're my clothes?"
"As I recall it we both lost our clothes in the poker game," Joe replied. "And I'm still sure Andy and Quynh cheated or worked together."
"Are you saying," Nicky asked. "That I walked through the city in only my boxers?"
Joe laughed over the horror written on Nicky's face.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but you just looked so cute," Joe said as he winked. "No, Andy was kind enough to give back our clothes before we got into the taxi. Listen, before we continue, why don't you come back to bed instead of sitting on the cold hard floor? We're after all in the middle of January."
Joe reached out his hand as an offer to help Nicky up, which he took. When Nicky sat on the mattress he decided it was best to sit on the other end of the bed and pulled the duvet up under his chin.
"May I ask you something?" Joe asked and Nicky nodded. "Are you a Victorian woman or something since you feel the need to cover that gorgeous body of yours?"
"No," Nicky replied. He didn't want to tell Joe that he felt a bit out of shape compared to the Adonis in his bed. "But you have to understand, yesterday I didn't even know that you existed, and now you're in my bed, only wearing boxers. And I can't remember how that happened."
Joe started to caress Nicky's leg over the duvet in the hope to calm him a bit. It did make Nicky smile.
"After Andy and Quynh had beaten us in poker and we only sat in our boxers. Love the purple ducks with the umbrellas btw," Joe said. "You insisted on paying me what you owed me after losing in poker..."
"OMG, I've done everything yesterday I promised myself I would never do," Nicky said as he hid his face behind his hands. Then he saw the look of concern on Joe's face. "Sorry, you were saying that I owed you something after losing in poker. Are we talking money?"
"We both followed the rules Andy and Quynh had for poker with their really good friends. No money involved," Joe replied. "Instead, you offered as a payment that we could cuddle. Both Andy and Quynh thought it was a good idea, so they called a taxi, got us into it, and we went to your flat. When I said, I could sleep on the sofa, you said a debt is a debt and I better lay in your bed when you came, ready to cuddle. Between us, I like bossy you."
Nicky once again hid his face between his hands.
"I'm normally not like that, Joe," Nicky said embarrassed. "I know it's a stupid excuse but I was drunk after drinking four big glasses of whatever Andy served."
"Andy's fun juice," Joe replied. "I also made that mistake once and drank five or six big glasses of it, so don't feel bad."
Nicky nodded. Joe took the chance and moved a bit closer to Nicky.
"I promise you, Nicky," Joe said. "We didn't have sex, yesterday. When you came into the bedroom, you had an extra duvet with you and said, that because we aren't married we couldn't sleep under the same duvet. And I can prove it."
Joe reached down on the floor on the other side of the bed and held up the duvet. Nicky could tell that Joe was speaking the truth.
"Thanks, for not having sex with me while I was drunk," Nicky said. "And sorry for being bossy."
"I don't mind," Joe replied with a yawn. "Listen, shouldn't we cuddle some more while trying to get some more sleep? I promise to stay under my duvet."
"Ok," Nicky replied. He was also yawning. "My head tells me I need it."
Nicky turned around and lay down on the side still with the duvet pulled up under his chin. Joe spooned up behind Nicky but when Joe placed a hand on Nicky's tummy, Nicky removed the hand.
"Something wrong?" Joe asked.
"It's hard to explain," Nicky replied. "Go to sleep, Joe."
Nicky could feel Joe's breathing on his neck and it didn't take long before Joe was snoring. It was there Nicky also fell asleep.
Nicky drifted a bit in and out of sleep for the next hour trying to ignore his bladder. It took a moment to get loose from Joe's embrace, but because Nicky still was a bit drunk, he ended down on the floor for the second time that day.
“What are you doing on the floor again?” Joe wanted to know as he looked down at Nicky. “Or do you really prefer cuddling with the floor instead of me?”
Nicky grabbed a pillow and threw it after Joe before getting up.
“I need a bathroom,” Nicky said. “And I need a shower.”
Joe looked with a smirk at Nicky.
“Alone,” Nicky said as he wrapped the duvet around his body.
“I’m just teasing you,” Joe said as he stretched his body. Joe noticed Nicky looked up at the ceiling “And I can only agree with you. I also need a bathroom and a shower.”
“You can go first,” Nicky offered. “I can wait.”
“Go, Nicky,” Joe said with a smile. “I’ll be here once you return.”
It helped with a hot shower and when Nicky got into a pair of sweatpants and his warm sweater, he almost felt like a human again. The only thing remaining was the hangovers. When Nicky came into the bedroom again he noticed a couple of things: Joe had changed the bedding but Joe was missing and so were Nicky's pyjama pants.
Nicky threw himself down on the bed thinking why Joe had lied and who would steal a pair of pyjama pants. On the other side, it wasn't the weirdest thing someone had stolen from him. He pulled the pillow Joe had been sleeping on, hoping it would still smell of him but all the pillow was smelling of was the detergent. When he heard footsteps getting closer to the bedroom, he once again fell out of bed.
"We need to do something about that," Joe said. "Unless it's a habit of yours falling out of bed."
Nicky stared at Joe, who was carrying a tray with food and wearing Nicky's pyjama pants. Nicky, who was close to 1.90 cm always froze around his ankles because the pyjama pants were a bit too short, but the pyjama pants fitted Joe perfectly who was 15 cm shorter than Nicky.
"Let me help you," Joe said as he put the tray on the bed before offering Nicky a hand, which Nicky took. When Nicky was sitting on the bed, Joe handed Nicky a mug of tea before sitting down on the bed with his legs crossed. "I don't know what you like in your tea, so I brought a bit of everything."
Nicky was still staring at Joe.
"You thought I had left?" Joe asked which made Nicky nod. "Well, technically I did leave but only for a moment. I couldn't go outside in my boxers to get something to eat for us, so I borrowed your pyjama pants."
"You walked down the streets only wearing pyjama pants?" Nicky asked.
"Yep, I didn't feel like putting my jeans on today," Joe replied as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do walking down the streets only wearing pyjama pants. "And your pyjama pants looked so soft and warm. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Nicky replied. "Could I have the honey?"
Joe handed Nicky the honey and poured a gentle amount of it into his tea.
"I didn't know what you wanted to eat, so, I asked the baker for a bit of everything," Joe said. "Croissant? Or what about a cream slice?"
"Croissant is fine," Nicky replied as he took the croissant. "I don't think I can keep a cream slice in me today."
"Let's save it for another day," Joe replied. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. "Could I ask you something, Nicky? No pressure to answer it."
Nicky nodded.
"When we spooned the last time," Joe said. "Why did you remove my hand?"
"It has nothing to do with you," Nicky replied. "It's more me than you... It's hard to explain."
Joe placed a hand on Nicky's leg and caressed it.
"Until you're ready to talk about it, I want to tell you something," Joe said. “I think, you’re perfect as you’re because in my eyes you're so beautiful. Once my hangovers are gone, I’m going to write poetry for you and about you. And I hope that you'll go on a date with me one day so I can recite the poems for you."
"No one has ever called me beautiful," Nicky admitted as he looked out of the window. "Especially not when..."
Joe could tell by looking at Nicky he was struggling with saying something, so Joe gave Nicky the time he needed.
"Is just my head still dealing with a stupid ex," Nicky said. "My ex told me that I needed to lose a couple of pounds before he would even consider having sex with me."
"Bloody idiot," Joe said angrily and took a deep breath before he continued. "Listen to me Nicky."
Joe caressed Nicky's cheek.
"Forget what your ex said because he is so wrong," Joe said. "You're so beautiful, just like the moon is. And I want to spend the rest of my life telling you why it's you're so beautiful. Please give me the chance to do it."
"I don't know why," Nicky said as he leaned his forehead against Joe's forehead. "But somehow I believe you and I want to hear those words."
Joe pulled Nicky into his embrace but before they could kiss, the bedroom door was almost kicked in.
"I knew it, Quynh," Andy said. "We should have kept their clothes and locked them in our guest room."
"Andromache," Quynh said as she looked sorry at Joe and Nicky. "She was raised in a cave."
"When I sent you both home yesterday," Andy said. "I had hoped you by now at least had had sex four times because you both need it. Instead, you both got more clothes on than yesterday."
"Andromache," Quynh said as she kicked Andy over the shin. "I'm so sorry on her behalf. We'll be back later."
Quynh dragged Andy with her while telling Andy that she wasn't helping at all.
"I got a feeling that Andy planned our meeting," Nicky said. "And the poker game."
"I got the same feeling," Joe replied as he cupped Nicky's cheek. "Now, where were we? I was about to kiss you before telling you how beautiful..."
"Less talking, Al-Kaysani," Andy said and they looked over at their friend. "More kissing and more sex."
"Andromache," Quynh said. "I'm so sorry."
Quynh once again kicked Andy over the shin.
"Andromache," Quynh said. "We're leaving."
"But I'm helping them because I'm tired of listing to them," Andy said. "They both complain about not having a boyfriend and a missing sex life and when I finally find one for them, they put on more clothes. Maybe we should play poker again...."
"Andromache," Quynh said in a tone that made Andy stop speaking. "If you hope for sex again, move your ass outside. NOW."
Quynh pointed at the front door and Andy walked towards it sulking.
"I'm so sorry again," Quynh said. "See you."
Quynh closed the bedroom door after her.
"Just for the record," Nicky said. "I did complain that I missed a boyfriend, but not about my sex life."
"Neither did I," Joe replied. "Now, I want to kiss you."
Joe pulled Nicky a bit closer so they could kiss.
"Could we not go on a date first before even thinking of sex?" Nicky wanted to know.
"I think that's a good idea," Joe replied. "And let's have a date as far away from Andy as possible."
They both laughed before they kissed again.