cravating | (no subject)

[Nate finds its harder to draw a breath in now, his chest feeling right as panic sets in. This isn't how this was supposed to go.]

Simon. [He says with as much force as he can muster.] You need to go. I'll ring you tomorrow and we can talk then. I just...can't do this tonight.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him, Nathan. He's dangerous."]

He's not. [His eyes flick over to Matt.] You're not. [He thinks he might want the reassurance.]

[ "You just need a break. You've been pushing yourself too hard trying to get this show together. Come inside, come on, let me make you some tea. We can go away, just the two of us, use those air miles, go anywhere you like. As soon as this big case is over. Just away from him. Nate look at you, look what he's doing to you, sweetheart you're shaking." Simon tries to implore him, while all the while looking over towards Matt as though he's about to explode.

Matt stands there, feeling like he should be just about anywhere else. He hears Nate's reassurance, but he hears Simon's words too, and maybe he's right. Nate's worked up, and this big mess is all because he came back. ]

Nate listen. I'm going to go so your posh boyfriend doesn't call the police for breach of the pavement or something.

[He can't do this. He can't stand there and argue with the both of them about what he really wants.]

Please don't do this... [He pleads with Matt, trying to say everything that he can't with those words. Don't go. Don't run.]

[ Matt looks at Nate. Oh those giant fucking eyes of his, it's not fair is it, being able to look at him like that. It'd put any puppy to shame. So he huffs out, and flings an arm. ]

Look, he wants me to stay.

[ "What have you done? What have you said to him? He's probably scared of you! That you'll hurt him if you don't do as he says." Simon's opinion of Matt is about as low as they can get, and Matt shakes his head and lets out an angry laugh before muttering.. ]

Oh I'm going to fucking swing for you.

Matthew. [Nate says quickly. He doesn't call him that often but when he does, he means business.

Simon just nods and waves a hand. "Exactly! You know how he gets, Nathan. You know what he's capable of!"]

Simon, you know I care about you, but I've asked you to leave. Please just respect that. This isn't some case you can win. I just need some time.

[That seems to maybe get through to him, causing Simon to take a step back. "Babe, I wasn't..." Except he sort of was, wasn't he? "Tomorrow, then? Lunch? That place you like by my office?"

Nate just nods, silent and doing his best to keep himself together. Simon nods again and gives Matt an unforgiving look, still blaming him for this, but not trying to argue with Nate further, afraid that he's just digging himself a grave by doing it.

"I love you." Simon adds, voice trembling a little. "You know that, don't you? Course you do. So...tomorrow, then. Yeah, tomorrow." With that, he slowly backs up and turns to get back to his car, climbing in and driving off.]

[ The full-naming makes Matt almost jump, and he looks to Nate with a serious stare. He knows why he did it, and he's right. He needs pulling back, snapping out of it, and he knows when Nate is pulling no punches in what he means.

Matt takes a breath, closing his eyes and trying not to get even more angry as Simon goes on about what he's capable of. When he opens his eyes, it's to give a heated glare towards Simon, bristling around the edges as he watches him finally back away, trying not to feel sick when he hears him tell him he loves him.

He doesn't say anything at all until the car is out of sight. ]

He loves you. Do you hear that, he loves you. I should go.

[Nate watches Simon drive off and breathes a sigh of relief, glad that the worst of the fighting is surely over. But then Matt is talking and saying just the opposite of what he wants to hear.]

Don't you dare.

[Emotion shakes each word. He just fought for this. He's not giving it up so easily.]

[ Okay He sighs, giving in because he doesn't want to see him like this. ]

But he was right. Look at you, you're on edge, you're almost shaking. Look who did that. And he was right about everything else too. I should be kept away from you.

I'm just cold. [Its a poor lie and he knows it.]

Can we just get inside, please?

[ That earns one hell of a look. Like come on, he knows you better than that, Nate. ]

Okay. Okay come on. I'll make us a cuppa or something. But none of that fancy herbal shit.

[Nodding, Nate leads them across the street and inside the building. There's no lift, so they have to walk up the three flights to get to his door. The place doesn't look like much. It's small and cluttered, full of art supplies and canvases that are waiting to be shown. Nate's very tidy, though, so everything has a place. He still has the same sofa from when they lived together, same lamp on the side table. There's enough of their old life together to be comfortably familiar.

Immediately, Nate sheds his coat and slips off his soaked shoes. He doesn't bother explaining where things are in the kitchen because it's all in the same place as it was at their old place.]

I'll go fetch us some dry clothes. [For all their talk about getting naked, he's not so sure if Matt even wants that now. But he's here and that's what matters.]

Edited 2015-11-17 15:46 (UTC)

[ Inside it's strange. It's really him. Like a piece of him that he can recognise, art magazines on the side table. The couch, their couch. He's had sex on that couch. The coffee table has a replacement leg he made himself after Dave sat on it that Christmas. It's like a memory he can reach out and touch.

A little awkwardly, he moves and heads to where he guesses the kitchen would be. He shoves the kettle on and looks for the mugs (in the cupboard over the sink) and the tea bags (in the caddy by the kettle). All the same.

It's oddly comforting, like home. Difference is it isn't, and it's strange to be here. Part of him feels like an alarm is about to go off just for him being there. He grabs one of the kitchen towels and dries his hair off a bit while he waits for the kettle. ]

[Nate's gone for a bit, slipped into his bedroom to get clothes for the both of them, presumably. But it doesn't take that long to get clothes, does it? So maybe it's strange when he doesn't come back out after a bit.]

[ Matt has time to make the tea and drip a small puddle of water from his jeans onto the floor by the time he starts to worry where Nate might have gone. Did he change his mind? Should he just slip out, he'd get it if he wanted that. Still though, only one way he can find out, and so he steps around into the corridor and a door he assumes is to his bedroom, tapping it lightly before pushing it lightly open. ]

Nate? You in here?

[The room is fairly dark, the only light coming from a small lamp on the opposite side of the room. Nate's there with his back to the door. His bare back. His bare...well, everything. Turning as Matt enters, the light from his phone is easy to see, a text message open.]

Sorry, just- he won't stop... [He's still emotional and got swept up in texting back while he was trying to change. So now he's just standing there naked.]

[ Oh he's nude. Okay, that's cool, that's cool. It's not like he's never that before. Though he isn't entirely sure how he's supposed to look at him. He... fancies him and that's weird, he's not sure how to balance that thought. Should he check him out? No that's weird too. But none of that matters right now, the overriding issue being that he's not in the best place. So naked or not, Matt pays no attention, and just looks to the phone and knots his brows. ]

What's he saying?

That he's worried. He keeps asking if I feel safe. Like I'm going to send some sort of secret signal for help? I don't know.

[He finishes sending a message that just says I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight. before he switches his phone to silent and tosses it onto a chair in the corner of the room.]

Sorry. [Oh and now he realizes just how not clothed he is.] Er... I should just... [He grabs some pajama bottoms and pulls them on. No underwear, though. Don't judge him.]

Those are for you. [A similar set of pajamas- just flannel bottoms and a tshirt are folded at the end of the bed for Matt.]

And do you? Feel safe? [ he wouldn't even blame him if he didn't. It would make sense really, wouldn't it. He knows that Simon is only trying to look out for him.

There's a touch of a smirk when Nate seems to realise he's naked, and he steps in, and grabs the pyjamas. So he's staying over, is he? ]

I don't need you to say sorry. But you know if you start not answering his messages he's just going to panic and think I've done something to you.

I'm not spending all night talking to him. [But Matt's right so he grabs his phone and turns the volume on low so he can at least give some quick response if Simon plans on doing something brash.]

And of course I feel safe. You don't have to ask that. [He still hang out a shirt on yet. His skin is chilled but he's just been a bit distracted.]

[ And Matt's noticing that too; the way his skin has gentle goosebumps from the air, the way the damp lamplight flashes across his skin. He finds himself sort of… looking, and oh that’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? He steps around a bit and looks at the pjs before kicking off his trainers that squelch a little as he does. He moves then to his jeans, grabbing the buckle of his belt with purpose. His eyes lift from his task to look at Nate as he does it, unbuckling and unbuttoning. The zip pulled down.

He raises his brow. ]

[With everything that's happened, he shouldn't still be interested in looking. But he is. So very much.]

Go on. [His voice sounds a bit threaded, trying not to just stare. But can anyone blame him?]

[ oh that's surprisingly nice, hearing that noise, that clear and obvious reaction in his voice. Weird. Good weird, but then this whole thing is fucking weird ]

Did you think I was stopping?

[ his brows lift again and instead of carrying on with his jeans his fingers go to the bottom of his tshirt and lift it up and over his head. There's that work the gym has done. He's still damp from the tshirt, and he throws it down to the floor. He doesn't think Nate will care about the mess ]

[Oh. Oh. That's nice. The low light really catches that damp skin nicely. Nate's gaze travels down, following along the lines of those newly toned muscles.]

Christ...

[That wasn't meant to be aloud.]

[ that Makes Matt laugh and fuck knows they could both do with that. He shakes his head a little as he looks at him. ]

Oh you like? [ he nods towards the door ] I made you a cuppa.

Hm? [Oh. Words. Yes, those.] Tea, yeah. [That requires moving. He finally tears his eyes away to grab for his dry tshirt and pulls it on. With a last lingering look, he heads for the door.]

Be quick about it. [Have a cuddle on the couch with tea, please. Nate heads out to get his tea and get comfortable...and try to ignore the way he's becoming increasingly turned on.]