Complement, p.24
Complement, page 24
part #3 of Connectivity Series
He was back much quicker that time and tore off his shirt then pounced on Nick, laughing and kissing his face. Nick held him in his arms, enjoying Ash’s more confident side when he was wearing his binder.
“So you bought me a ring and everything? And Cory’s bringing it?” Ash asked as he smiled excitedly.
“Yeah. That’s why I’ve been on my phone so much. I was looking at rings online and texting with Cory about which rings were at which store. He was texting me pictures of what they had and we were trying to guess what size ring to get you. I have a picture of the one I bought if you want to see it.”
“No!” Ash shouted. “Don’t spoil it.”
“Alright, baby. I won’t show you until I propose again on Wednesday with the actual ring. I’m sure your mom will be glad to be able to witness it too.” Nick took Ash’s hand in their laps. “I asked your dad if I could marry you.”
Ash stared back at him. “You did?”
“When we visited him last weekend.” Nick nodded.
“Is that what you were doing?”
“Mmm hmm. I promised him I’d take care of you and I thanked him for bringing you into the world. I told him that maybe one day he’d be a grandpa and we’d bring our kids over to meet him.”
“You did?”Ash asked again. His eyes looked a little sad and teary but he hugged Nick around his neck and pressed a kiss to his ear.
“Of course, love. He’s your dad and even if he’s not actually here, he’s here in our hearts. I want to become a part of your family and I want you to become part of mine. I’ve even been practicing my new name.”
“New name?” Ash questioned as he pulled back.
“Nick Weaver. I kinda love it. What do you think?”
“Gah. I kinda love you! Could you be anymore perfect?” Ash shouted and kissed him, clutching his head and shoving him back down on the bed.
There wasn’t a whole lot more talking for the rest of the night as Ash kept both their mouths quite occupied. Their lips were swollen and their promises sealed, when they finally fell asleep, cocooned in their ever expanding nest of love.
-XIV-
Wednesday started with Nick waking up early and whipping up a batch of chocolate chip pancakes for Ash. They were one of his favorite breakfast meals and Nick wanted to try to make the day as special as possible for him. He laid out Ash’s supplements and poured some juice, then finally woke his sleepy baby with a few well placed kisses that only served to have Ash try to bring him back to bed.
But Nick reminded him they had classes to get to and eventually, Ash crawled out of bed with his hair sticking up everywhere and he smiled when he rounded the corner to see the little heart-shaped pancakes Nick had made for him.
“Baby. Why are you so good to me?” Ash asked as he yawned and tried to kiss Nick with his mouth still open. Nick chuckled and swatted him on the butt, shoving him toward the table.
Stevie came in a moment later, probably drawn in by the scent of coffee and food. “Aww, Nick. This was sweet of you.” She pulled him into a side hug and went over to pour some coffee.
“I wanted Ash’s day to be special. Tomorrow is all business, but this is kind of our last free day, aside from classes of course. Cory and Josh will be here after lunch and I figured we wouldn’t get much alone time with just us for a while after tomorrow. I know everyone will be around and be wanting to help, so I thought this would be nice. We should all probably have an early dinner too before we have to go in for my last class.”
“Ash, where would you like to go, honey? I can call and make a reservation since there will be a group of us. I think Rick and Adam wanted to come too, if that’s fine?” Stevie asked, adding creamer to her coffee.
“That’s cool. You know I love having them around. Nick, you’ll finally get to meet Adam. He’s the sweetest guy. Rick is like this lumberjack outdoorsy type, and Adam is a little smaller but does drag and has a stage name and everything. He’s super funny and just worships the ground Rick walks on. They are the cutest together too, always touching and holding hands. They’ve been together forever. Why aren’t they married, Mom?”
Nick shot a wink to Ash at his married comment and he smiled happily as he shoveled in another bite of pancakes.
“Adam is divorced. Or, you know, as divorced as you can be being gay since they weren’t legally married. But, he was with an older man when he was quite young and things ended so badly for him that he just never wanted to get married again. I’m certain, though, that if Rick ever asked him, he would say yes in a heartbeat. And since it finally is legal now, they could both be protected if they ever wanted to take that step. But, they’re happy for now and don’t need a piece of paper to tell them how much they love each other. They own three houses together, for Pete’s sake. If joint mortgages aren’t a sign of commitment, I don’t know what is,” Stevie replied.
“Wow. When I ran into Rick that one time at the sporting goods store, I never realized he’d end up being the one person to make all the difference in our lives. He and Adam sound like great people and I need to thank them for what they did for me. Rick was practically a stranger, but he dropped everything to come out and do what he could for me. I’m glad he’ll be coming tonight. It would be nice to thank him in person,” Nick finished.
Ash wrapped his arm around Nick’s waist and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I need to thank them too. They led me to you and you make the best chocolate chip pancakes,” Ash said sweetly and they all busted up laughing. Nick was grateful for the shift in topic. He didn’t want to wallow in the past and think about the time before he’d met Ash. Those memories were too tainted by his horrible behavior.
“So, where to for dinner, Ash? You like that Chinese food place we always go to with the buffet,” Stevie added.
Ash glanced at Nick and placed his hand on his knee under the table. “Can we eat at The Creamery? They have really good burgers and the best ice cream any zombie boyfriend could ask for.”
Stevie looked puzzled for a moment but Nick smiled at his guy and pulled him in for a kiss. “They do have the best ice cream, don’t they?” Nick asked softly, loving that Ash thought of the place they’d gone to for their first “date.”
He nodded in return and hugged Nick’s side again.
Stevie watched their little exchange but agreed that it was a good choice since it was a small place and usually not crowded, and they finished their pancakes before heading off to get ready for the day.
Nick’s classes were mostly uneventful and he’d done the same routine of informing his teachers of his upcoming absences. Just before Anthropology, though, as they were walking into the building, Nick got a text from Cory saying that they were in town and going to hang at the coffee shop and for Nick and Ash to meet them there.
“Cory’s here,” Nick told Ash as they walked through the lobby and up the stairs. “They’re going to be waiting at Wired, so we’ll meet them there on our way home.”
“Are you nervous?” Ash asked, squeezing his hand.
Ian called out a hello as they approached and they both waved as Nick replied, “Yeah. A little. I mean, the last time I saw him we were not on good terms and I really didn’t know if I’d ever see him again. I’d basically cut ties with my old life and was totally prepared to walk away. But seeing him again is going to be awkward, I think. Especially with Josh there. I know he’s been nice so far, but if I were him I would totally hate my guts.”
“Nick, they understand. I thought we had gotten past all this. Just go and be glad you’re seeing him. He’s your best friend even if things were weird for a while.”
“You’re my best friend,” Nick replied and kissed the side of Ash’s head.
“Are you two always so lovey-dovey?” Ian asked, coming over after packing up his books.
“Yes,” they replied in unison and Ian laughed.
“Seems like it. What are you guys up to later? I heard something about friends?” Ian asked.
The two of them shared a look and Ash shrugged.
“Ash is having surgery on Friday and tomorrow is his pre-op. We have friends who’ve come into town to be here for us and help us through the first few days. We’re meeting them at Wired after class,” Nick supplied.
“Surgery? I hope it’s nothing serious,” Ian returned with knitted brows and concern in his voice.
“It’s serious for me,” Ash provided. “But I’m not sick or anything. Nick is going to take next week off from classes to be with me and his best friend and his husband are here to help out too. You should come with us. To Wired, I mean. I’ve never met them, but it might help break the ice between us all a bit.”
“Your friends are married?” Ian asked, his brows raising.
“Yeah. They got married like three weeks after we graduated or something. They’re totally meant to be, though. Just like me and Ash,” Nick replied and Ash put his arm around Nick’s waist and hugged him.
“You guys aren’t married, though, are you?” Ian asked, looking back at them with astonishment in his eyes.
“Not yet. But we’re engaged,” Ash said, resting his hand on Nick’s stomach. “We had to order our rings and they actually just came in today.”
Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Aren’t you guys, like, super young? I mean, congratulations, and everything, but, wow. How old are you?”
Nick smiled at Ian’s obvious lack of censorship. “I’m eighteen and Ash is still seventeen. But he turns eighteen in February so we still have some time to plan the wedding.”
Ian stared at them like they were aliens or some unknown life form. “And your friends are married too?”
“Yup. And I have another buddy back home who eloped with his husband over the summer as well. I’m telling ya, man, you want to find someone and settle down, you should move to Oregon,” Nick teased and Ian just nodded like he was still processing that information.
Ash hugged Nick again. “Babe, you’d better go. You only have a few minutes.”
Nick nodded and Ian moved off a little bit toward the door.
“I’ll see you after class, Ash,” Ian called.
“See ya. Hey, I don’t know if Nick mentioned it but could he copy your notes while he’s out? Your teacher said he should find someone and copy their notes since a lot of his quiz questions come from his lectures,” Ash said.
Ian nodded. “Sure. No problem. I can probably just email them to you since I usually just take notes on my laptop.”
“Thanks, Ian. I’d really appreciate it. I don’t want to miss anything important, but Ash comes before anything else. I’ll shoot you my email in class,” Nick said and Ian nodded then headed inside.
Nick hugged his fiancé. “Already telling people we’re engaged, huh?”
Ash smiled. “Of course. I was thinking of putting an announcement in the newspaper, actually. I had to do that when I changed my name for my birth certificate, remember? It didn’t cost very much.”
Nick stared at him not sure if he was joking around.
Ash pressed up and pecked him on the lips. “Time to go, babe. Hug me and tell me you love me.”
That Nick could do. He leaned over and wrapped Ash up tightly in his arms. “I love you, baby. I’ll see you in an hour.” He pressed a kiss behind Ash’s ear.
“Stupid, Mr. Morgan,” he grumbled under his breath and Nick released him, straightening up to smile at his man.
“You gonna miss me or something?” Nick asked as he slowly backed away with his hands on his backpack straps.
“Every minute you’re gone,” Ash replied sweetly. “Love you.”
“Love you too, boo. See you soon.” Then he ducked inside just in time for Mr. Morgan to start class.
~
Ian begged off joining them at Wired, saying that he’d feel like a fifth-wheel and he’d text later to check in about Ash’s surgery. Nick thought it was for the best, as well. Ash would be meeting Cory and Josh for the first time and he would be reuniting with the best friend he’d ever had until Ash had come into his life.
His nerves were amped up just due to Ash’s surgery, but throwing his drama with Cory into the mix was stressing him out more than normal.
He parked his car in a stall at the coffee shop and did a quick scan for Cory’s Jeep. He didn’t see it and couldn’t remember what kind of car Josh had, but Ash squeezed his hand in support and threw his arm around his neck.
“You’ll be fine, babe. I’m right here and Cory is your friend. Let’s just take this easy since tomorrow is a big day and we need all the easy and chill vibes we can get, okay? Try not to stress too much.” Ash pecked him on the cheek, then withdrew to open his door.
Of course he was right. Nick had much bigger things to worry about but knowing that did little to quell the nerves in his stomach as they walked up to the entrance hand in hand.
He opened the door for Ash and Ash smiled at him and squeezed his hand as they stepped through.
Nick surveyed the seating area, but Ash nudged him and nicked his chin out toward a sofa in the back corner. Cory and Josh sat there quietly looking at something on one of their phones. Nick took a deep breath and, together, they headed over to say hello.
Their approaching footsteps must have caught the couple’s attention because they both looked up at the same time and the phone was immediately stowed away as they smiled and stood up.
“Nick,” Cory said kindly, walking right up to him and hugging him then turning his attention to Ash. “You must be Ash.” He extended his hand as Josh came up to stand beside him. “I’m Cory, and this is my husband, Josh.”
Ash shook his hand and smiled wide. “It’s nice to finally meet you both,” he said and shook Josh’s hand as well.
“Nice to meet you too, Ash. Nick,” Josh said and came over to shake his hand after he’d greeted Ash.
“Hey, guys,” Nick said as Ash laced their fingers together again. “Thank you both so much for coming out. I know this is probably going to be a little weird but it means a lot to me that you were willing to be here for us, even after everything we’ve been through.”
Ash indicated that they should all sit back down and he and Ash took the loveseat to the right of the sofa Cory and Josh settled back down on. Ash snuggled up right against him and he draped his arm around his shoulders, loving that Ash realized he’d need a bit of extra comfort in their slightly awkward situation.
“Nick,” Cory said as he perched on the edge of the cushion. Nick couldn’t help recognizing how great Cory looked. Not from an attractive standpoint, but just in a healthy, happy sort of way that spoke to how settled he was with his life. His familiar smile and head of blond hair eased an ache in Nick’s core that had only grown out of losing someone important to him, but seeing Cory happy again left Nick feeling nothing but fondness for his long-time friend.
“We’ve been over this,” Cory continued. “We’re happy to be here for you both, and I can’t even tell you how happy it makes me to finally have a chance to sit down and talk like we should have months ago. You were my best friend for years and all I ever wanted was for us to be doing exactly this. Josh and I really wanted to take this time to reconnect with you and to meet Ash and start a new relationship that is exactly what it was always meant to be. We’re friends, Nick, and now we both understand exactly why that friendship is so valuable. We share something that not many people do and I’m so glad for it because sometimes it’s just nice to know there’s someone who knows exactly what you’re going through and who’s in your corner. I’m sorry we couldn’t share anything with you the last time we were all together, but for some totally bizarre reason, we were all chosen to share this precious gift and I for one am happy to have you back in my life.”
Nick nodded, relieved and grateful that Cory had been willing to dive right in and say what needed to be said. It was way better being on this side of one of Cory’s speeches than on the other. “Thanks, Cory. I was really nervous about how this was going to go, but thanks for being cool. Josh, you too. I’m sure you’ve both talked a lot about this. I can’t thank you enough for being willing to give me another chance. I’m grateful to have you both here for me as much as for Ash because the next few days are going to change both of our lives. Your support and friendship mean a lot to both of us, and we’re thankful to have friends like you.”
“I’ll admit I was a little worried too,” Josh piped up. “I’ll confess I’ve never been your biggest fan, Nick. But I get where you were coming from. You found someone who made you happy and if those feelings were genuine, they came from a place of caring and affection. Cory is definitely the best person I know, and I’ve only known him for half a year. I’m thankful that he had you, though. You care for him and you’ve been there for him and you accepted him without question when he was still questioning himself. So even though you’re attempt at conveying those feelings was not something I wish to remember—” everyone chuckled “—you came at it from a place of love and caring and I can’t really be upset about that.”
Cory wrapped his arm behind Josh's back and kissed him on his shoulder. He turned back to Nick and Ash. “And now look at you. All Connected and exactly where you were always supposed to be.”
Ash placed his hand over Nick’s heart and Nick took it in his left hand, holding it there as he turned to look at his man. “I guess in the long run, in some weird way, I have you to thank, Cory.” He glanced at Cory and Josh, then back to Ash. “If I hadn’t fucked things up so royally and run off early, I might never have had the chance to meet the most important person in my life. And I think we can all appreciate just exactly what that means.”
Ash gave him a look filled with affection as he pressed in close and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Nick cupped his cheek and nuzzled his nose alongside Ash’s, appreciating the mysteries of the universe and how they’d worked to bring him to exactly this moment in his life. He sighed and pressed another kiss to Ash’s lips whispering to Ash how much he loved him.
