Tim Drake-Wayne (redrobin) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2013-01-09 03:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | red robin, stephanie brown |
WHO Spencer & Nick
WHAT Celebrating the New Year
WHEN Backdated: New Year's Eve -> Day
WHERE Nick's place
WARNINGS none
The gift Nick had gotten him was absolutely amazing and unexpected but the note had just completely pushed him over the edge. He wanted to see Nick as soon as possible, to really see where they stood with each other. They had so much history together and Spencer really did love Nick with all of his heart. The comic loving tecno-genius was his first great love and he’d screwed it up royally. Any chance he had to make things right between them, Spence would jump at. New Years Eve seemed like the best option, particularly after the pleasant time they had in that weird, snow covered town. Nick had agreed to host so Spencer brought the champagne and Justice League Monopoly, something to keep them busy until the ball dropped at midnight. Plus, he had a thumb drive of more comics and DC-related things for Nick’s iPad. He hoped the other man loved the gift as much as Spencer loved his. Arriving promptly at ten o’clock dressed in jeans and a light v-neck sweater, Spencer certainly looked like he was going to a party or celebration of some sort. The hotels and clubs on the strip were all touting their exclusive, VIP parties, but Spencer couldn’t think of a better place to spend New Years. He’d been somewhat tempted by Malcolm’s offer, but he didn’t want to risk anything happening and he didn’t trust the way he felt around the brunette. He knew it was possible that he was just rebounding before there was anything to rebound from, which was why he was even more excited to spend time with Nick. He knocked twice, a warm smile on his face. Since Spencer had come over to his house a few weeks before, Nick had become consumed with guilt over Alexander. He knew what had happened to his twin months before, but had simply tucked it away in a little compartment in the back of his brain. Out of sight, out of mind. He would frown with his parents and shake his head when they asked if there was anything new and lie, lie, lie. He knew that he should have pursued things. He knew he should have gone after his murderers, but he didn't because he was a coward. Still. He missed his brother to pieces, and now to hear Jade picked up and left? Nick Pierce felt isolated and sad and at a loss for what to do, and most days he mulled over leaving Vegas all together. Stephanie would surely move to another person, just as Damian had multiple times now. But, Spencer made things seem okay. He was a beacon of hope in the shadows and made everything feel worthwhile. So, he didn't hesitate when Spencer asked about New Years, and he did not think twice about the present he bought the other man. There were still feelings there, and maybe they could rekindle something. At least be best friends again. Something. He came to the door immediately, opened it with a bright smile, and couldn't help a quick one over. "Hey, man," he said. He pointed to the board game. "Really? Monopoly? You are in trouble. Don't you remember how much I excel at this game?" "Hey," he greeted, giving Nick the same once over he'd taken. He looked good, if a little worn behind that smile, but Spencer knew exactly why that was so he didn't push. He didn't want to talk about Alexander tonight. Nick needed to start the new year off right and that was exactly what they were going to do. He laughed when the other man commented on his choice of board games. "Hey, I figured it was time for a rematch. You never know, I could've become a monopoly guru by now." He was teasing of course. He still sucked at monopoly, but he knew how much Nick smiled whenever they played so it was worth it as far as he was concerned. Spencer stepped into the apartment and let Nick shut the door behind him before wandering in further, remembering belatedly to take his shoes off so he didn't track anything unwanted through the apartment. "Here, this should go in the fridge," he said, handing over the bottle of champagne. Once that was taken care of, he set the board game on the coffee table and took a seat on the floor. "Up for beating me now or do you want to give it a few minutes first?" He was teasing again but he would've been fine with whatever Nick wanted to do. Nick, in dark jeans and a blue checkered button up shirt, stepped aside with a warm smile to let Spencer into the apartment. He was glad to see the other man again, especially under much happier circumstances, and that much was very clear in the way he carried himself. Like having Spener in the room inflated him with a joy and calm he hadn't known in some time. Not since Alexander's death, at the very least. "You could not have had the time to even learn half of my tricks." Nick beamed at him before taking the bottle to put in the fridge. On the kitchen counter, two flutes waited for the midnight beverages, but in the meantime, Nick pulled out two beers, one for each of them, before making his way back to the living room. "Let's hold off on me wiping you across the floor with my skills for a moment," he said, holding out one bottle for the other man as he took a seat next to him on the floor. Across from them, Nick's 1080p HD television flashed muted merriment from the New Years coverage on ABC. He hadn't been watching the coverage before Spencer arrived, choosing to continue his Assassin's Creed 3 quest, but he thought that Ryan Seacrest would be more appropriate for the night. Twisting off the cap of his bottle, he turned to smile at Spencer. "How have you been? How was your Christmas Day?" It was so easy to see how different Nick was now compared to how he was the last time they’d seen each other and Spencer was grateful for whatever it was that caused the change. He hoped, maybe, that it was him, but he didn’t ask because he didn’t want to be disappointed if it wasn’t. “Yea, but I definitely had time to look up monopoly strategy online and memorize a couple of them,” he teased. It was so good to see Nick smiling so much. He took his beer, opening it and taking a swig as Nick settled in next to him. Spence stretched his legs out and leaned back against the couch, ready to spend at least the next two hours in the company of his best friend. “Christmas Eve kinda took the cake,” he replied with a grin. “But I headed over to the hotel Christmas Day. Helena convinced Tim to go over there for Christmas dinner.” They’d had a pretty interesting night after that, but it wasn’t Spencer’s place to say anything, especially considering everything going on with Tim, Stephanie, and the rest of the Wayne family. “How’re you?” He spied the Assassin’s Creed up on another screen and grinned. “Still kicking ass on those video games? Doesn’t the new Arkham one come out soon?” It was a good bet Nick knew everything that was going on with the DC world. "Christmas Eve was...yes, it took the cake." Nick's usual clipped, quiet tone grew awkward for a moment, but nothing bad. He was just never very good at articulating feelings, especially ones concerning significant others. Especially ones concerning Spencer Williams. He could take a computer apart and rebuild it within hours, but he never found the right words without a stutter. "I let Stephanie have Christmas, too. She attended the Wayne dinner and managed to patch things up with Damian, whom she's been fighting with since before Christmas. Then she went to--elsewhere. She went elsewhere." Nick nearly spilled the beans about her night with the Riddler just then, but like Spencer, it wasn't his place to say. He shrugged. "I am dealing. I want to wait until after the new year to really...deal with things." He took a swig of his beer then in order to fill the space. He laughed though, and rolled his eyes in good nature. "Yes, I still am, and yes it does. I haven't actually been able to play either Arkham game since this began. Stephanie makes it rather difficult yapping in my ear. But, I love her. I will sacrifice those games for her." He said it like it was such a burden, but he did care more for Steph than those games in his PS3. She was much more real to him, after all. A large grin crossed his lips when he heard that awkward tone from Nick and Spence nudged his shoulder playfully in response. He knew exactly what Nick was like, what he was good at and what he sometimes had trouble with. Namely, how to deal with feelings about other people. At least this time, it was good feelings he was causing and not bad ones. “Tim’s getting along with Damian now too. Hopefully this’ll mean good things for everyone.” Of course, any mention of where Stephanie got off to after the party had Tim curious, but Spencer pushed him far away and didn’t ask the question. That would, hopefully, be the last they talked about the door. “Hey, whenever you’re ready, you know where I am. We’ll get through this.” Spencer offered Nick a warm, encouraging smile before taking a sip of his own beer. “That’s not too bad. I mean, I’m working my way through the comics still and Tim’s basically put an embargo on anything having to do with him being Red Robin. Something about not wanting to know what his future would’ve been like in his world.” Spence thought it had a lot to do with how things with Helena and Stephanie were going through the door, not to mention how disconnected he was feeling from Bruce, Dick, and Babs. Spence shrugged. “Anyway. I don’t want to talk about door stuff or comic stuff, unless we’re talking about how I’m going to kick your butt in JLA Monopoly. We could definitely talk about how Ryan Seacrest basically lives in a three piece suit though, if you’d rather?” He was teasing, hoping to direct the conversation away from what he didn’t want to talk about. Nick listened to Spencer speak, providing the appropriate reactions when necessary, even if his mind wasn't completely all there at the moment. Every now and then, it would drift away to think about Stephanie and her current situation. He wanted to ask Spencer his opinion of it all, but then Tim would know, and Tim definitely didn't need to know Steph and the Riddler were now sleeping together. She made her bed, now she would have to lie in it, too. But, Stephanie was smart and tough, and Nick trusted her, even if he didn't think this would turn out well for anyone involved. He nodded at Spencer's sentiment. He didn't want to talk about doors or comics either tonight. Tonight was just the two of them, and that was perfectly fine with him. He reached for the box and began to set up the board. "Let's see if you've gotten any better during the last few years." The grin spreading across his face was challenging. Spencer was glad that they were able to put the door stuff behind them for the night. It was somewhat difficult, because of their own history and their Alters’ histories, but they made it work as best they could. Maybe that had a lot to do with the lack of interaction they had on this side, but Spence was hoping to change that in the new year. If anything, he wanted his best friend back. “Want to put a wager on it?” he asked, setting his beer down and shifting onto his knees to help set up the board. He’d always been the banker whenever they played, so he automatically started to set that up for the pair of them. Nick got to pick which pieces they were. “And turn off the mute. I want to hear the ridiculousness that is this year’s commentary,” Spencer added with a grin as he divided out the money. He handed Nick his in a nice pile and then set up his own stash before setting the ‘bank’ off to the side. The property cards were put in the order they were on the board and then he made sure the houses and hotels were separated. “Alright, I’ll let you go first just to give you a head start,” he teased. Nick pressed the mute button on the remote, filling the living room with the rambunctious noise of merriment Times Square had to offer that night, and snorted at Spencer. "Do you really want to make that risk. I am incredibly shocked you would even have the gall. Okay, a wager. What would you like it to be?" He took a swig from his beer, not even considering what Spencer could cook up in his mind for a good wager. He chose two pieces, placed them on GO, and took up the die. "If you insist," he said right back with what almost looked like a daring smile. If Nick could flash daring smiles. He rolled the die and moved his piece the assigned number of spaces. In the background, Ryan Seacrest prattled on about some nonsense that Nick didn't quite know about or understand. Pop Culture had never been his thing, not really, unless there was bleedover in geekdom. Speaking of which. "Did you like the present? I wasn't sure if I should have left it in the stocking." Spencer was much better at keeping up with pop culture than Nick was, so he was more than happy to listen to Ryan Seacrest blabber on about everything interesting that had happened in the past 364 days. “It’s not really a risk when the wager is a kiss at midnight,” Spencer replied easily, all calm with a slight teasing glint in his eyes. He didn’t want to say it so sincerely in case Nick wasn’t interested, and there was a good chance Nick was going to win anyway, so it was harmless. Wasn’t it? Spencer was going to go with that. He picked up the dice and gave it a roll, reaching across to move his piece and decided to buy the space, easily trading out the money as Nick asked about his present. “No that was...an amazing gift to find in there,” Spencer replied honestly. “I’d love to go.” What he really wanted though was to hear Nick say he loved him, but only if it was true. Realizing he was staring a bit, Spence quirked his lips up and then pushed the dice over to Nick, innocently asking, “Did you like yours?” Nick spied the playful glint in Spencer's eyes and quirked an eyebrow at his challenge. Interesting. He looked amused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. If you win, you'll get yourself a midnight kiss." He didn't even bother making a wager of his own. Maybe because he was going to spring something ludicrous on the other man when he won. Or maybe because he was looking for the same exact thing. Either way, he flashed Spencer a smile, a warmth in his belly spreading through his his body to his fingertips. Happiness. Something quite foreign over the last few months. He looked very pleased, and nodded in approval. "Good, I am very glad," he said, beaming at the other man. Then he pointed at one of the smaller tables in the living room, where the ipad was charging as they spoke. "I love it, Spence. It was--it was so thoughtful." And it was. Useful and chock full of his favorite things. "I use it almost every waking moment." With that, he took the die from Spencer, and they continued on with the game. Over the next two hours, their pieces went round and round the board, collecting properties, hotels, and brightly colored fake money, and they drank a few more beers, and they chatted about the nonsense going on during the broadcast. Nick couldn't quite remember the last time he laughed so much. As midnight edged closer, the game was a lot closer than Nick cared to admit. Clearly, he had grown rusty, and he frowned for a moment before the television declared the final minute countdown started. He looked at Spencer then, a smile curling up his lips. "Draw? Unless you want to drag this into the new year?" As the countdown reached the final twenty seconds, Nick shrugged. "Either way, your wager is lost." Ten, nine, eight. Nick turned his body towards Spencer. Seven, six, five. Maybe it was the beer, but Nick knew differently. Four, three, two. He inched closer and closer, oblivious to how bold he was being. And this, for Nick, was bold. One. As confetti exploded on the television and screams were heard both in neighboring houses and from the screen, Nick's hand drifted up to cup Spencer's jaw, and he captured his lips with his. Spencer tried not to get his hopes up when Nick agreed to the terms of his wager and focused instead on how happy the other man seemed. His smile only grew when Nick admitted to just how often he used his gift. It just proved that he still knew him pretty damn well even after everything. “I’m glad,” was all he said before the delved into the game. It was amazing how easy it was to slip into old habits and they’d certainly done this a million times before. Granted, Spence usually lost by a landslide but he was actually holding his own this time and that was mildly surprising. What was more surprising was Nick. Spencer was all set to lose, ready to ask Nick what he wanted because he’d won the wager and they had never set the other terms, but then Nick did the most amazing thing of all. He kissed him. Spencer was in shock but in the best possible way. As soon as their lips touched, he was grinning, one hand going to Nick’s waist as the other wound it’s way around the back of his neck, fingers teasing the hair there at the nape. He leaned back against the couch and pulled Nick with him, the other man landing sideways in his lap. Spence didn’t let him break the kiss though. Not then. He deepened it instead, so completely lost in the moment and wanting to enjoy it as if it was the only kiss they’d share all year. A sound of surprise rumbled in the back of Nick's throat as Spencer deepened the kiss and tugged him into his lap, and his eyes slowly shut. His fingers spread on his cheek and used it as leverage to pull the other man closer, to put more pressure against his lips. Nick hadn't been with someone like this in some time. He just didn't want to, but Spencer was different. He was Nick's first love, his only real love, and having him back in his life was a good thing. A great thing. The best thing. He sighed and tilted his head to deepen it for a moment longer before breaking the kiss for air. His eyes fluttered open and deep browns met blues. He flashed a shaky, tentative smile, and the shouting was still playing in the background. Nick almost felt like they had an audience themselves, but that was silly. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of the asinine thought and smiled at Spencer again. "Happy New Years, Spence." Spencer smiled into the kiss, loving that he could still surprise Nick and then just flat out loving the kiss. He loved having Nick in his arms again, weight comfortable and right in his lap. Despite knowing from an early age that he was gay, he hadn’t exactly lived in an environment conducive to being true to himself. It wasn’t until he met Nick that he felt ready to officially and publicly date another man. The kind of love they had would never leave him, of that Spencer was absolutely certain. No matter what happened between them, no matter how many adorable, utterly kissable brunettes came into his life, he would always love Nick. Always. The pulled apart but he didn’t let Nick get too far away. Not just yet. Spence wanted to enjoy the closeness just a bit longer and his own smile wasn’t going anywhere. Nor was it going to diminish anytime soon. “Happy New Years, Nicky,” he replied softly, still smiling. “I hope it’s a good one.” Spencer honestly, sincerely meant that. |