Chapter Text
It's not easy being seventeen; just ask Joe about it. Last week, Nicky told Joe that he was in love with him, but Joe lied when Nicky asked if Joe was in love with him. Instead, Joe said he wished to stay friends with Nicky because Joe still couldn't grasp why the hottest guy in school had any interest in a skinny teen with messy curls and glasses.
Now, a week later, Joe's guilty conscience had brought him to Nicky's house. Joe needed to tell Nicky he lied last week, and while knocking on the door, Joe prayed Nicky would forgive him. It took a moment before Nicky's big brother, Marco, opened the door with a big sandwich in his hand.
Marco: "Hi, Joe. Nicky is running late."
Marco chuckled. He was still proud of that joke, and he planned to use it for as long as Nicky would jog.
Joe: "That's okay. Tell him I'll be back tomorrow."
Before Joe could leave, Marco grabbed Joe's collar.
Marco: "Don't be silly. You can wait in his room. He is back in ten minutes or so."
Joe nodded before stepping inside.
Marco: "Hungry? I have just created a new sandwich."
Marco wanted to become a chef, which often resulted in very strange food. Joe had still not forgotten "The Double-decker Sandwich" Marco created last year. Both Nicky and Joe could swear that the fish was still moving when Marco presented the sandwich. They had eaten the sandwich and praised Marco for his cooking, saying it was delicious.
Joe: "No, thanks. My Mom will kill me if I'm not hungry when I get home."
Marco: "Fair enough."
Marco walked back to the kitchen while Joe walked towards Nicky's room. Joe knew the path in his sleep. When Joe opened the door to Nicky's room, he was greeted by what Nicky liked to call "A Controlled Chaos". Nicky's controlled chaos meant clothes everywhere than in the cupboard, books in stacks than on the bookshelves and a messy bed. Joe still remembered the first time he saw Nicky's room because it was so different from how Joe kept his room. But Nicky knew precisely where everything was when he needed it.
Joe sat down on Nicky's bed. He couldn't resist twisting the bedding between his fingers because he loved how soft the bedding was. Lately, he had started to dream about sleeping in Nicky's bed while Nicky wrapped his big, strong arms around him. He shook his head and let go of the bedding because he remembered what brought him here tonight.
Suddenly, Nicky burst through the door, which made Joe fly up. Nicky was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were clinging to his body so his body shape could be seen. Once again, Joe couldn't understand why someone as hot as Nicky was interested in a skinny teen with messy curls and glasses as Joe.
Nicky: "Yusuf!!"
Joe loved it whenever Nicky called him Yusuf. It felt so good and made Joe feel so warm inside.
Nicky: "I'm so sorry for being late or, as Marco would say: "running late"."
Joe giggled when Nicky imitated Marco.
Nicky: "It's actually my own fault. I showed up ten minutes too late for running practice today, and as punishment, I had to run another five miles. I should really buy that watch you always talk about."
Nicky took a towel and some clean boxer shorts.
Nicky: "Give me five minutes to shower, and then we can talk. Okay?"
Joe nodded, and Nicky left. Before Joe could sit down again, he got a text from his Mom, telling him that his grandparents had shown up an hour earlier than planned. At first, Joe thought about leaving a note, but instead, he knocked on the bathroom door. It took only a second before Nicky turned off the water.
Nicky: "I don't care about your delicate ass, Marco. Use the downstairs loo."
Joe placed a hand on the bathroom door, taking a deep breath.
Joe: "Nicky, it's me."
Nicky: "Yes? Give me a moment to get the shampoo out of my hair."
Joe: "You don't need to hurry. My Mom texted me, saying I should get home."
Nicky: "Oh, bummer."
Joe leaned his head against the bathroom door.
Joe: "I lied last week, Nicky, when you told me you loved me."
Joe took a deep breath.
Joe: "I do love you, but I always thought you would never look my way because of how I look."
When Nicky didn't say anything, it was more than okay with Joe. Why, Joe didn't know; maybe he would find the answer later.
Joe: "See you tomorrow at school. Bye."
What Joe didn't know was that the reason for Nicky's silence was that he was still processing what Joe had just said. When Nicky's brain finally rebooted, he heard Joe walking down the stairs.
Nicky: "Shit. Yusuf, wait."
Because Nicky was in a hurry, he didn't see where he placed his feet, which resulted in him tripping over his own legs and hitting the floor hard. Marco heard it all because he was on his way with a plate of cookies for Nicky and Joe. Worried, Marco knocked on the bathroom door.
Marco: "If you're planning to die, Nicky, please wait until Mama and Papa are back again so I won't get blamed for something I didn't do again."
Nicky opened the bathroom door with only a towel around his hips. Nicky looked confused at Marco.
Nicky: "Sorry, what?"
Nicky scanned the surroundings.
Nicky: "Yusuf, have you seen him?"
Marco: "I don't know who that is, but Joe left a minute ago."
Nicky: "What? I need to speak with him."
Nicky was almost down the stairs when Marco whistled.
Marco: "Mama will ground you for life if you run down the streets only wearing a towel."
Nicky looked down at himself, and with a frustrating groan, he ran back to the bathroom, where he put on the boxer shorts.
Nicky: "Give me your hoodie, Marco."
Marco: "No way. This is my favourite."
Nicky: "Please, Marco or else I'll run down the streets only in my boxer shorts, saying it was your idea."
Marco rolled his eyes. Why was it that Nicky had this ability to drag him into his problems?
Marco: "You do know playing the baby brother card is getting old?"
Marco handed Nicky his hoodie.
Nicky: "I know, but it still works."
Nicky took the hoodie on.
Nicky: "But thanks, Marco. For getting me out of trouble once again."
Nicky hugged Marco before he ran down the stairs.
Marco: "You idiot, you forgot your shoes, and then there is..."
Nicky didn't hear the last thing because he was already running down the streets.
Marco: "You're my witness, Baffo."
Baffo was the family cat of the breed Norwegian Forest Cat. Baffo rolled over on its back with a purr.
Marco: "If Mama asks me why her youngest son is running around without footwear and with shampoo in his hair, please tell her I did get him to put on clothes first."
Marco decided to eat the cookies while watching football together with Baffo, who was the only one besides Marco who appreciated football in their family.