💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

88 - Nick

When consciousness flooded into him, the first thing that Nick noticed was the headache. That familiar, pounding headache. He pried a tired eye open, and looked around the room.

A twinge of pain. He had drunk too much last night, way too much.

Nick sighed, groaned, and, with great difficulty, pulled himself out of the hammock-bed. He had no idea what time it was. There were no windows in their room, so it was impossible to tell. But everyone was gone. Warlan and Mikh's bed was empty. He wasn't sure if Henrov and Geer had even returned to theirs last night, and he didn't really care.

And Breck was gone, too. There was nobody else in his hammock-bed.

Breck.

What had happened last night? That drink, the jrsalla, had done something to him, had forced unnatural feelings to the forefront of his mind, of his body. Nick rubbed his head, pushing his sweaty, thick hair back. He rubbed his slick forehead, as though he could remove all of his weird feelings, all of the strange images he had been seeing, through sheer force.

But it wasn't working, and it wouldn't work, he knew that. Whatever had happened to Adam and Chris, whatever the jewel had done to them, it seemed that Nick wasn't immune to it. He knew that now. There could be no more denial.

"Nick?" Sally's voice was clear in his head, sweet and charming. A sound that seemed to float in the air.

Nick turned around, their house in Chicago coming alive around him. The stone walls and floors of Jkaal morphed into the granite countertops and vinyl floor of his kitchen. He was just about to leave for a drink at the pub.

"What's up?"

She didn't say anything for a second. She considered him, her blue eyes piercing and inviting. She tended to do this, but it never bothered him. Her gaze was warm, comforting. It was the sort of stare that looked for the good in you. Sure, she had complaints. Everyone complained from time-to-time. But that stare was something special.

"What would you do if I died?"

Nick blinked. "Hm?"

She laughed, walked up to him, and gently wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've just been thinking recently- what with everything going on with my mom- what you would do if I died."

Nick stared down into her face, unsure what to say. "You're not going to die."

She smiled. "I know that, Nick. I know that. But... if I did, what would you do?"

Nick let his hands support her back, pulling her closer. "I would lose the love of my life. I don't know how I could possibly go on after that."

She nodded, a joking curve to her mouth. "Good answer." Nick leaned down and kissed her softly, letting the feeling of their lips together overtake his senses. God, she was amazing. When he reluctantly pulled away, she let her hands fall to his chest. "But... I want you to know, Nick." She sighed softly. "If anything happens to me, it's ok."

"What's ok?"

"I mean, if you find another woman." She inclined her head, a sad lilt to her voice. "I would be ok with that."

Nick shook his head, cupped her chin, and lifted her head gently. "What is happening with your mom, Sal, does not decide your future. And, even if it did, there is nobody like you. After this, after what we have, I could never love anybody else, even if I wanted to."

"But..."

"No." Nick shook his head. "This is it for me. It's Sally or bust."

She chuckled. "You're such a corn-dog, Nick."