: Saintsmourn - Nicholas & Patrick :

[dangernerd]

Nicholas Kirkland (Nicky to those who he considered friends) was at this moment finishing up the last of his reading for his college classes. In the little dorm-room that himself and Patrick shared, it was a muddle of books and random objects that they'd collected. Not only that but also bits and bobs of their friendship tied into neat little nostalgic notes.

The last rays of the sun was streaming in through the window and he was poised, feet crossed on desk and balancing barely on the back two legs-- precarious yes, and honestly he knew that he should not really be doing this. Coordination be damned, he'd never worried about it before despite the bumps and bruises he regularly got because he was perennially distracted.

It was almost time for Patrick to come home from his late evening classes and then they'd start their foraging for dinner.

After that, well the evening was still young and there was trouble to be had. All of which he looked forward to, after all Patrick had for as long as he remembered, been his favorite partner in crime.. they had grown up together and they had a special bond.

As close as brothers, except not quite-- and honestly? Nicholas was glad for that.

Comments

[dangernerd]

"It was because he cared about you so very much that he wanted to see your happiness before his own." Riley said this quietly, his hands clasped together. "Surely you can understand that.." and then a nod to Nicholas who looked comfortable with his head against lap, though he was nursing his pride over having been palm smushed which had only lengthened the recoup time a little bit.

"We all have things that we want to protect, and you were so very young."

Nicholas remained quiet throughout all of this, because yeah.. he could see why Liam had did it and he would've done the same thing for Trick, but he also knew that Trick would argue because it was Trick.

And thus that is why he did not say a single thing.

[giveeverything]

Liam was grateful that Riley had answered, because he honestly hadn't known how to put it into words. He hadn't wanted Patrick to carry any guilt over the choice that he himself had made. Trick was his brother, and he had been so young. They were both children, but Patrick had barely started his life. Liam couldn't have lived with himself if he'd lost Trick that day.

Or any day thereafter. True, he'd mostly lost having his brother in his life these past few years, but at least he knew that Trick was still in the world, living and thriving even. "It was bad enough I had to carry this, and it was my choice. I didn't want to burden you with it too. Honestly, I didn't ever plan to tell you. Until some infuriatingly persuasive priest managed to change my mind. ...because I'm going to fight. I'm done being Gregory's pet." And for the first time since this had all started, he had some hope he could manage it, and he didn't have to do it alone.

Nicky's presence was still the only thing grounding Trick from pacing around the room in restless, frenetic motion. Instead he let the feeling of soft strands of auburn through his fingers stop him from giving into the whirlwind of emotions wreaking havoc in his mind.

"I am so fucking pissed at you," he informed Liam before adding a quiet, "Sorry, Father." For the cursing. But he continued. "You're an idiot, Liam. You're so unbelievably stupid it's incredible. I could have helped! I could have tried at least." Like he'd try now. Gear up, Nicky. They were now in the demon fighting business for keeps. "And I'm sorry. I sorry I assumed the worst without even..." He shook his head. "I'm just... I'm sorry." He only realized he was crying when his voice cracked and that last apology came out halfway into a sob.

[dangernerd]

There was the weight of Riley's hand on Liam's shoulder, and then the lightest of shoves that spoke without words, Go to him... in a way that meant that he expected Liam to do just that, to make amends and to be at peace with each other. The battle would be rough but there was strength in numbers, and now Liam had him, Patrick and Nicholas to assist.

Gregory would not know what hit him.

"He is an idiot." Riley said this quiet but with quite a bit of affection. "But let's just focus our energy on the future and let go what's in the past, that way we can come to this with clear and present clarity."

Nicky wiggled a little bit so that he would not be stuck in the crossfire of a brotherly hug, he was able to lift himself up with some newly gained strength so that he was settled back against the squabs, while he gave the Priest an approving nod. "Sorry Father, we swear like sailors."

"It's fine." Riley said with the barest hint of a huffed chuckle.

[giveeverything]

Liam glanced to Riley briefly at that shove, but the priest was right. Of course he was right, and that prompting was all he needed. He moved then, setting his teacup down and closing the distance to pull his brother into a hug. It was the first hug since they were teenagers, but he tried not to think about all the time and distance between them.

Trick stiffened briefly before turning into Liam's arms and hugging him back. "See? Even the priest thinks you're an idiot," he muttered, trying to hide the fact that he was well and truly crying. Trick wasn't much of a crier. He never had been, even as a kid when he'd been trying to prove he was tough enough to keep up with his older brother. Now though, he couldn't seem to stop it. "You're also an asshole."

Liam was close to tears himself, but he laughed. "Yeah, I know. You're right about both." He looked over Trick's head at Riley, offering him an almost mystified smile. This was happening, wasn't it? He mouthed a silent thank you to him.

[dangernerd]

Woops, there was the emotion that Trick rarely let anyone see; he was usually so cool calm and collected with a focus and a purpose, but there was that hidden softness to Trick, like the softer side of jerk which came out in the most surprising of moments. Nicky very respectfully turned his face away so that he wasn't staring at the brotherly reunion-- it was not polite to stare and at least he had learned that much in his years of hubris-coated life.

Riley merely smiled in that secret way of his, lifting up his tea mug before finally he took a sip of it, almost in tribute.

It was the first part of the multi-part happy ending.

"Good thing Tish isn't here, she'd knock your heads together." Nicholas did say after a long moment, "Y'know, really give you both something to cry over." which arguably Tish did not really make people cry, just intimidate the ever loving shit out of htem.

[giveeverything]

"Don't even joke about that. We already fought one demon. We can't handle Tish in the same day," Liam said with with the same solemn seriousness and quiet in his voice that medieval peasants had when they spoke of wolves and bears, like even mentioning their names might summon them.

Seriously, Nicky, do not speak that evil into the world right now.

Trick nearly choked on a laugh and drew back from the hug to look over at Nicky. "He has a point, you know." They did not need any more horrors in their life right now, thanks. He scrubbed a hand across his face, as if he could wipe away not only the tears but the memories of them from everyone who might have noticed them. "So... how are we going to take down this demon of yours?"

Liam frowned and shook his head. "Uh-uh. No. Nope, this isn't a we thing, Trick. You need to stay off his radar. Got it?"

[dangernerd]

This is where Riley stepped in quite effortlessly, because he knew that it would come to this-- that Liam's martyr instincts were going to come out in full force. After all the Priest had to very quietly nip it in the bud where he was concerned so he decided to apply a bit of rationale to this.

"Liam, Patrick is already on Gregory's radar, he considers both myself and Patrick his trump cards. So it stands to reason that we should all keep together as best as possible." and then glancing at the two young men assessingly. "There are things they can do such as research."

"Are you calling us nerds?" Nicky said before he remembered and then added on, "Because you'd be right."

"After this information, it is neither wise nor safe to keep these two so far out of our radar so I think that we can put them to use, after all this is Trick's soul we are fighting for as well."

[giveeverything]

Liam opened his mouth to continue to argue, but it would appear that he was quite soundly outnumbered here. Even worse, Riley was using facts and reason, and that was unfair was what that was. "How dare you go and bring logic into this," he muttered with a sigh of what could only be understood as surrender.

Except some of him, the part that was so relieved not to be so utterly alone any longer, wanted to drop himself into Riley's lap and kiss him senseless for all of this. The priest had been the catalyst in his life to actually change, to shift the balance he'd been suspended in for years now.

"Ha! See? Father Walsh is on my side. I win." Suck it, Liam. Trick flopped back to a seat, leaning his way straight into Nicky now, looking smug and satisfied that he'd just won the argument that his brother had been about to start. "And he's right. It's my soul too. ...he's also right that we're nerds. Not to mention, we're actually good at this stuff. It's how we spend most of our weekends." Researching paranormal things, getting into danger, getting out of it in one piece. Usually anyway. The incubus possession notwithstanding.

[dangernerd]

"Not so fast, Mr Leary." Riley said, directing his grey eyes right upon both of the recalcitrant troublemakers, and he knew they were trouble. One could not exist within a ten mile radius of them without understanding this. "This means that you have to check in with me or your brother whenever you need to go somewhere, even if it is something as simple as the cafeteria. Because this is your soul on the line as well, we have to take extra precautions."

Sorry boys, Riley was going straight up into mother-hen mode and there was not a damn thing that the two of them could do about any of this.

"This means that as if right now, your possessed house spelunking is on hold until we've determined that the threat has been eliminated."

"I can make us all communicators." Nicky was very quick to say, because well he could. He already had a drawer of walkie talkies that he was attempting to overclock as best as you could with a walkie talkie, this meant that he would have to get on it.

[giveeverything]

Oh yikes. Mr. Leary. Trick sat up a little straighter. That was just short of using his middle name -- which he doubted Riley knew to use anyway -- in terms of you're in trouble instincts. Then the priest kept talking, and he immediately slumped back, this time it was his turn to drape over Nicky, like an inflatable arm-waving tube man who lost all its air. "You've gotta be kidding me. Check-in? Like you're our probation officers?" Okay so maybe he was a little overly dramatic; it was to compensate for his embarrassment over the crying earlier.

He paused though to look up at Nicky. "You mean your pet project spycraft stuff? That'd be cool, and a little less obnoxious for having to check in with." Since, you know, cool spy shit.

Liam shook his head at both his brother and at Nicky. "This is serious, you two. You don't know Gregory like I do. You haven't seen what he's capable of..." Liam had. All too clearly, all too closely, and the idea of Gregory coming after Riley or Trick or Nicky was still horrifying, a cold icy weight in the pit of his stomach. "Riley's right. You check in. We make sure none of you are caught out alone or unprepared." Nicky's communicator idea was good though, and it would perhaps keep him occupied for a while.

[dangernerd]

Nicky folded his arms across his chest and adopted the slump, because when faced with family it was easy to turn into a teenager again. It was science in a way, especially for young men who were barely past the age of drinking much less even older than that. And technically they were both more adults than they were, definitely Riley was an adult and Liam? Oh occasion.

"Yeah, I'll let you be my lovely assistant." Nicky shot Trick a look and then he had the audacity to waggle his brows (though thankfully he was still not hard). "But I can have something rigged up by tomorrow night I think, with enough pizza and Mt. Dew."

"Excellent." Riley thought that Liam handled himself rather well, but also it managed to do what Riley hoped-- and that was to con Liam into allowing people in on this war too. Really, the Priest was the true winner when all was said and done.

[giveeverything]

Trick snickered at the eyebrow waggle -- which was not helping the not taking this seriously allegations -- lifting a hand to tug at Nicky's hair. Pulling his hair because he totally had a crush on him. "I'm not wearing sequins." But he'd help Nicky do his science tinkering as best he could.

Even though he knew this was dangerous -- and really he did know it was perilous and could end in disaster -- Trick felt lighter and strangely relieved. He... he actually had his brother back, didn't he? And he had a boyfriend. And he wasn't ever going to become a priest.

Liam was entirely unaware that his angel had plotted this all out with subtle pulls of strings. Clever, evil, beautiful, wonderful Riley. If he hadn't already been in love with him, he would've fallen here and now. It was a weird feeling, to be here in this room with people who knew his worst secrets and were still willing to help him.

It was strange not to be alone. He smiled, an almost bewildered expression on his face, quiet disbelief that this was happening. A moment in this lost in thought and feelings, and he shook his head. "I'll treat you two to pizza, as long as you promise to behave."

[dangernerd]

It was good to know that the two of them were like twelve year-old boys about this whole 'in love' thing, it really suited it as well as substantiated the fact likely in Liam's estimation that they probably required watching after the hijinks that they'd reportedly gotten into the night before. They were super mature adults, there was no doubt about it.

"Hey, I'm not gonna turn down pizza.. and honestly? I have a lot to work on this weekend so I think we're safe, but I can make sure that Trick doesn't leave my sight."

He'd follow him down the hall, into the shower.. even into bed. You know really buddy things.

"Wonderful then that is settled, I think that in which case Liam has nothing to worry about." and then Riley turned around to face Liam. "This also means that I have to keep you close.. you know this right?" did Liam? Well now he knew.

[giveeverything]

"Good. Keep him on a tight leash, Kirkland." Liam would do his damnedest not to think about his dumb little brother and his equally dumb little pseudo-brother showering together and getting up to bedroom hijinks. He'd already had to consider it way too much when Nicky showed up possessed by a sex demon. So.

Trick meanwhile was rolling his eyes and waving a hand dismissively at his brother. "Whatever. I'm behind on homework too." Since he had gotten a grand total of zero non-carnal anything done the past stretch of time. He'd gone from pulling Nicky's hair to twining that lock around his fingers now, looking at him thoughtfully. Maybe they'd make some time for non-homework though, once they'd both had some time to recover. Don't mind the half come-hither stare in your direction, Nicky. Trick was, well, a red blooded young man in his prime, after all. With a soulmate, of all things.

Liam seemed satisfied with this and nodded, taking a moment to point at his eyes and point at Nicky. Then Riley spoke, and he turned to face the blond to assure him that he'd find something to worry over, before feeling a fluttery sensation take sudden flight in his chest. "Oh? That a fact, angel?" And because he couldn't get caught blushing in front of the two idiots on the couch, he stepped in closer, settling a hand at Riley's hip, voice dropped low and half purred. "How close were you thinking?"

[dangernerd]

Let's not talk about leashing, especially after the past 12 hours that he'd had in which case he had rather vigorously fucked and been fucked by his boyfriend, Liam's brother. His constitution could not survive that though he would not mind talk about that, he was open to a lot of stuff. But there was something about the way that Trick was rolling the hair around fingertip, and the look in that eye that wasn't precisely sexual but still something.

Then there was the vibes he was getting from Liam and the Priest which arguably he was still sensitive to like some horny town residue that lingered long after the resident had vacated.

He cleared his throat and then tugged at Trick's hand. "I think we better go. I think that if we hadn't barged in like this, they would've been well on their way to poundtown, yeah?"

What a way to ruin a sexy moment. Riley had been quite interested in what Liam was saying, like they were mentioning battle tactics, and then the lowered voice coupled by a purr. And then Nicky opening his big mouth, which brought his palm to his face so that he could drag it down.

[giveeverything]

Not precisely sexual, not precisely not. Trick was probably thinking about utterly filthy things right now, like holding Nicky's hand again on the way back to their room and wondering if his boyfriend had a preference for being the big spoon or the little spoon. Such scandal.

...no wait, the Scandal was Nicky's mouth. Trick nearly choked on a sound as he heard what the other had to say, unsure if he should laugh or not. "You can't say poundtown to a priest, Nicky. I'm pretty sure that's in the Bible somewhere." Okay yeah he was laughing now.

Liam, however, was not laughing. He was however blushing and turning to stare at the ginger menace. Maybe he should have let the Incubus eat him after all. "Nicky, I swear, if you are not a speck on the horizon in the next thirty seconds..." He let the threat hang.

Trick just laughed again, and hopped to his feet, pulling Nicky along with him. "Yeah, yeah, we're going. Remember. You owe us pizza. Hawaiian. And wings."

Maybe Liam should've let the Incubus eat Trick too. "And for the record, we were sleeping."

[dangernerd]

Holding hands could be filthy underneath the right circumstances, it was all in the slide of thumb against the bridge of hand, or the intimate slide of fingers. Trick should try him sometimes, he'd find that Nicky was down for such filthy not without marriage behavior such as hand-holding.

"Hawaiian pizza.. and wins." Nicky chimed as he was pulled rather easily. Some of his strength had come back magically, certainly enough that his feet started to move once more. "Also whatever, I know first hand what happens when you wake up from sleep with a pretty boy lying next to you."

He'd said too much, and his voice was a echo down the hall, good job Nicky-- one point for each side.

"They are so exuberant." Riley said with a laugh, still a bit flushed from the candor and also from Liam's proximity. "They remind me of my brothers, well... some, I have so many." he said with a sideways glance at Liam.

[giveeverything]

Trick was still laughing as quickened his step and pushed thee door shut and led Nicky down the hall before Liam could decide to give chase and murder his soulmate. Probably better to save his brother from succumbing to his dark side when he'd sort of just gotten him back in a very real way.

"What happens when you wake up with a pretty boy next to you?" He asked with a pointed lift of his eyebrows as he let his steps slow once some distance had been put between them.

---

Liam took a breath and reminded himself that killing Nicholas Kirkland, while it may be justifiable homicide, would still be homicide. Luckily Riley was there, looking flushed and laughing and everything in Liam's chest felt too full and too warm. Well, yeah, okay, see. This would clearly keep him from sin.

At least murderish sin. Lust flavored sin on the other hand...

He slipped his arms around Riley's waist, stepping in close enough to lean his forehead against the priest's. "The fact you survived so many siblings with your sanity intact is evidence you're a much stronger man than I am."

[dangernerd]

Nicky was rather fond of his life, even moreso now that Trick and him were a couple. He followed as best as he could, and thankfully he had quite a bit of strength recharged; granted, he was still tired and would require a nap but he rather thought he could do that safe tucked in the circle of Trick's arms.

He slowed as well, using his arm to wrap around Trick's waist so that he could steady himself but really it was so that he could have an excuse to get all handsy up on Trick. "Well, my memory is not clear but...." then he, in true Nicky fashion, waggled his brows. "It may have involved a bit of hanky-panky." adding a little spanky to that as well.

"Liam would barf."

---

"I can assure you that Nicky equals around three of my siblings so.. the strength is not that pronounced." there were a few that were rather mild mannered, like Dante. The twins however, yeah they were a bit of messes and he realized that quite well. "But, I guess what is another one to the pile." meaning that he would not mind adopting Trick as his own brother, and maybe Nicky in a sort of 'he's my stepbrother and I only see him on weekends' sort of way.

[giveeverything]

Napping could definitely happen. Trick would enjoy that very very much, thank you. He slipped his arm around Nicky in turn, leaning into him. "Oh? Feeling a bit foggy on things, Baby? Guess I'll have to remind you tomorrow morning."

He snorted at the mention of his brother. "Yeah well, we caught him hiding in a priest's closet in his boxers, he doesn't get to talk." Because really, now Trick had the knowledge in his head that his brother was sleeping with Father Walsh.

Speaking of sleeping though. "So, important question. Big spoon or little spoon?"

--

There was that warmth in his chest again. Riley was going to be his undoing, and he hadn't seen it coming. How had one of his lowest moments in a confessional booth, and then the ill-advised blatant flirting that had followed and all the mess thereafter, how had it brought him here?

"Kirkland is... something else. You should meet his sister. She's a terror." Like an actual nightmare. Men cowered in her wake.

He fell quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. "You should be more careful, you know. At this rate, if I actually live to see the end of this mess..." unlikely as that seemed, "I'm going to want to marry you."

[dangernerd]

This was absolutely important question that begged to be answered, the big spoon or little spoon was not something that they had ever explored given that most sleepovers had not been a sharing a bed affair (though Nicky had imagined what would've happened if he had slipped into Trick's bed, his imagination was robust and helpfully supplied many a scenario.

"Big spoon.. but I am open to little one too case may be.

Let him be your backpack, Trick. Although he would enjoy the morning grinding no matter what form it took. "Do you have a preference?"

--

Riley looked at Liam and his heart softened, those grey eyes like a warm heather grey sweater worn on the coldest of days, a reminder of coziness. And then he slipped his arms around that waist because he could not imagine a life without the other man.

"You realize that you have ruined me for the church, I am unsure if I can go back to who I was before you. And I do not want to." He wanted that, you know-- wanted a home and a cat, a dog and maybe children.

"But we will both survive this, or we both will not."

[giveeverything]

"You know me, baby. I'm a knife."

He said this with a straight face even. Clearly the big tough supernatural investigating jock right here. A moment to let that settle in and he added, "But for you, little spoon. I really like the thought of your arms around me. But I'm versatile, so long as you're close." Oh god he was getting sappy. Immediately ruining the knife allegations. But he couldn't help it. He loved his boyfriend.

And had loved him for lifetimes before apparently. That one deserved some closer thinking. Later.

--

Liam wanted to wrap himself in the warmth he could see in those eyes, like a blanket on a rainy day. Everything about Riley called to him like the siren song of warmth and safety and home, none of which were things he'd ever believed he could have. Hell he still had trouble believing that he deserved this.

But those arms around him made it harder and harder to let those thoughts win. Deserving or not, he had it, he had this handsome, brave, tender man. "I didn't mean to steal you from your calling..." he murmured quietly, stepping in that much closer, until he could let his forehead rest against Riley's, voice a low secret for the two of them to share and no one else. "I'd ask your forgiveness, but I'm not sorry, even if I should be." And one couldn't be forgiven for a sin that one couldn't properly repent for.

"I won't let anything happen to you." That was a promise, and inside that promise a clear argument to Riley's pronouncement about their sharing the same fate either way.

[dangernerd]

"Are you going to knife and fork me?"

There was that charming smile even as he lightly bunted himself against the other guy, like an affectionate cat would; if he had a tail, it would've been wrapped against Trick's thigh so that the other man would not be allowed to escape from. "Because I totally would let you." and then a hum before yawning, his head hitting that shoulder because he was tired though. "After sleep though, I just want to curl up behind you and sleep.. I am so tired."

It evidentially took a lot out of a healthy red-blooded man to be infiltrated by a sex-hungry incubus? "If you're not tired, I can sleep maybe tucked up against you as you play on your phone?"

--

Riley looked a bit sheepishly himself, especially in regards to Liam's own confession and also the chagrin from what was percieved to be a bad. "So I chose the church because I did not have any true interest in sex or even, I guess love. I had boyfriends but they were not, well they were just to have them and it was always more friendship than anything else. When I chose it was because I thought that I could live without things like that but.." he lifted his chin up and pulled Liam close.

"I guess I had not met the right man, and I am willing to forgo my calling for love.. if I find it."

That was said solemnly, and he knew it was love. Knew that he wanted to build a life with Liam right here and now.

[giveeverything]

"Knife, fork, spoon, if I can figure out a way to make ladle or whisk sound sexy, those too."

His arm tightened around Nicky's waist in a brief one armed embrace. "Baby, I went from a virgin to a sudden rush of sex in like twenty four hours and topped it all off watching my brother pull a demon out of my boyfriend and eat it for breakfast. I could sleep for a week."

Though he would need Nicky nearby for that sleep to be at all peaceful after how worried he'd been over him. He pressed a kiss to Nicky's head through his hair, his free hand pulling his keys from his pocket to open up the door to their room as they arrived.

--

Did Riley realize what that did to Liam, to be told that Riley was choosing him, that Riley loved him enough to choose him over the priesthood? Because it shook something horrifically broken in him down to its foundations and built it back up, mended and whole, and it made him want to survive all this more than he ever had.

For a long time he'd believed the only way this would end was with his death, and he was starting to almost wish for that. Now he wanted to live, wanted to break free of it all and take Gregory out and have an actual life. With Riley.

He sank into Riley's arms. He knew it was love too, down to the deepest core of his soul. A tilt of his chin and he brushed his lips against Riley's in a light whisper-soft touch. "I love you."

[dangernerd]

"That was pretty cool." Nicholas agreed, because of course he did. He thought it was exceedingly cool to eat a demon for breakfast. It had been on a list of things he never knew he needed to see and he was forever changed by it. "Pretty useful skill to have."

But then as Trick started to fumble with the lock, he pressed a kiss to the neck. A soft tribute, the scratch of scruff proving that it had not been a dream. "You could make anything sound sexy you know, because you are so sexy that it hurts-- and I want to have a date with you, not the usual breakfast morning but something you know well romantic."

Though Nicky could probably make pancakes romantic if he tried hard enough.

--

"I love you too, there is no room in my heart to feel this way for anyone but you." it was almost like the spot had been waiting for him, a not yet-- not now, until finally he'd met Liam, gotten to know him and then that little voice saying 'this! this is him' in such a poignant way.

"Also I am glad you and your brother are back on terms again, I know this was not how you wanted it to be but the right time rarely is planned." truth if ever there was one.