Home 'Sweet' Home [Open]

Jace chuckled, "Oh i know you can. But that doesn't stop me being over-protective and over-cautious when it comes to my father. But we don't need to worry anymore," he said, staring out of the window, still nursing his cup of tea. "I'll leave soon," he said, smiling slightly. He really didn't want to be here when Nick and Alex were all loved up together.

Alex looked down into his tea and sighed, he didn't want Jace to leave. Not yet. But it wasn't up to him. So he just sat in silence and waited. Hoping that the other boy would change his mind. But he doubted it. When Jace wanted to do something he wouldn't stop until it was done. Alex sighed and pulled his legs up onto the couch and smiled weakly at the other boy as he took a sip of his tea.

Jace looked to Alex and sighed, "Don't, Alex.... I know what you're thinking but i really don't want to be here when Nick gets back. I doubt he'll be very pleased to see me, especially with what Joe is chatting about." He ran a hand through his lank hair, mentally reminding himself to wash it as soon as he found somewhere to stay. Suddenly an idea hit him and his face lit up, "I just realised that i have the whole of Grey Mansion to myself, excellent!"

Alex smiled weakly again, "That's nice," he said quietly, scared his voice would break. He ran his thin finger around the rim of his cup, he was just thinking. Mostly about what Nick had said, that he wasn't allowed to see Jace - or Josh - without him. He wouldn't be allowed to visit Jace without Nick being there. Or at least someone there to make sure Jace didn't...rape him. Alex bit his bottom lip and tried to think of something else. "Just think...you can finally get some decorators in," he said, smiling a little more.

Nick - with impeccable timing as always - breezed in through the door to his penthouse, looking very windswept and debonair in tight jeans and a tight, plain white t-shirt he'd been wearing for his modelling shoot that day. His eyes flicked onto Jace for a fraction of a second - he wasn't surprised, he'd heard them talking from the lobby of the apartment block - then went to Alex as if nothing was wrong, with a wide smile. "How are you? Is Joe here?" he said in a soft, seductive voice as he crossed to his fiancé and kissed him firmly and passionately on the lips, completely ignoring the other person in the room.

Alex smiled the moment Nick walked thought the door and kissed him back, pulling away a few moments later. "I'm okay. I've...had a busy day," he said, still smiling. Be nice, he thought firmly, before looking towards Joe's room, "He's playing World of Warcraft...again," Alex said grinning. He took another sip of his tea, "How are you? Had fun?" he asked, by the looks of things it had been a good shoot. But then again, Nick always found something to complain about. It was funny to listen to and always managed to cheer Alex up.

Nick frowned and went to the kitchen, pouring himself an ice cold glass of mineral water to calm himself. "It was...average. The photographer was too picky, and he told me to remove my plug. And the girl I was shooting with was not at all pretty - too much on show, not enough for the imagination, if you know what I mean. Plus, she was very rude and far too young to act the way she did." He shook his head and sat down next to his boyfriend, laying his head on Alex's lap and kissing his thighs playfully.

Jace looked at the two boys and shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. They were all the happy couple that he had imagined them to be when he had first heard about the engagement. Although it did surprise him that Nick had decided to settle down. He stood up and winced as pain shot through his body, perhaps he had hurt himself a bit more than he had first thought. "Well i'll leave you two alone," he said, smiling as brightly as he could.

Alex smiled at Nick and ran his hand through the other boy's hair, as he leant forward and kissed the other boy on the nose. He heard Jace stand up and immediately turned to face him, "Yeah, Not a chance Jace. Sit down, you're not going anywhere. Not for tonight anyway," he said sharply. Turning back into the mother again. Carefully he slipped out from under Nick and went to get Jace some ice. "Where does it hurt?" he asked Jace, frowning slightly. He definitely wasn't leaving tonight, not in the state he was in.

Jace rolled his eyes and sighed, "Look, Alex, i appreciate what you've done for me, but i don't need a mother. I've never had one before and i don't need one now." He regretted the sentence as soon as it had come out, after all, it hadn't been long since Alex's mother had died. "Sorry, i just think it would be best if i left," he said, stretching his arms infront of him, both of them making a loud 'crack'. He winced again then ran a hand through his hair, "I'll see you around," he said, smiling again. He had always been good at hiding behind a mask, fooling the ones he loved into thinking he was ok.

Alex shrugged, trying to hide his feelings. "Y-yeah. Sure," he mumbled, rubbing his arm slowly as he stared at the floor. The ice melting in his hand send cold shivers over him as the drips fell to the floor. He smiled weakly and nodded a goodbye. "I'm going to have a shower," he said to Nick almost inaudibly as he walked to the bathroom even before Jace had left the room. Slamming the door behind him Alex tried to look at himself in the mirror. What had he done to deserve this? It was his fault Jace's father was dead - if he hadn't have visited then neither of the Grey's would have said anything. He tore his eyes away from the mirror - which still had a slight crack in it from when Nick had gotten angry. Sighing he sat down in the shower cubical, his knees tucked up to his chest as he hung his head in shame. Why didn't he realise Jace liked him? Why did he have to find out now? When he and Nick were engaged. He loved Nick, more than anything in the world; Joe loved him too. But Alex wanted to make everyone happy. If he got married then Jace would be unhappy. If he didn't get married then Nick would be unhappy. Tears began to run down his cheeks as he leant against the glass, slowly they trickled down his neck and under his clothes just as his psychokinetic locked the bathroom door, shut the shower door and turned on the shower. Within seconds fast flowing freezing water was cascading down onto the thin orphan, soaking him instantly.

Within seconds Nick was on his feet, next to the door, ushering Jace into the elevator and then following him in. The moment the door closed, he grabbed Jace's shoulders and shoved him up against the wall. "Don't you ever tell him anything like that again," he growled, having seen Alex's thoughts on the matter. "He's mine. You will never have him again. Stop making him feel guilty - I know exactly what you're trying to do. He's mine, and soon that'll be proven by law." His voice was low and quiet, but this only hinted at a horrible violent rage coursing beneath the surface. He couldn't handle Alex being with anyone else, but Alex was too kind and slightly too naive to understand sometimes. He wanted everyone to be happy, so he'd go round and let everyone have what they wanted from him. But not now. He kept making Nick angry, not happy; it was as if he was second best to every other man in Alex's life, yet apparently the most important. He'd seen the thoughts, that if Alex married him, Jace would be unhappy, and he didn't want that. Surely, if he loved Nick as he said he did, there was no question of whose happiness should come first? Was he in love with Jace? Nick growled and landed a hard, unexpected punch to Jace's stomach, winding him, then opened the lift doors and went back into his penthouse.

Shivering Alex could hear everything Nick said, he was proud that Nick still called Alex his. But he knew from the tone of his voice he was very angry. But Alex could deal with angry. He'd done it before. Sighing he stood up and stripped off his clothes and actually took a shower under the freezing water. Moments later he stepped out, a towel around his thin waist - goosebumps littered all over his body and his lips were a bright blue colour. The cold water had accentuated his blood shot eyes and, when he looked at himself in the mirror again, he looked half dead. Only his tattoos stood out as bright as ever. The one he got with Jace and the one that spelt out the name of the one person in the world he would kill for.

Still full of adrenalin from punching Jace, Nick went to the kitchen and found a pad and pen, then began to scribble out a hurried note to his fiancé.

Dear Mr Cien,

I am tired of your indecision. You have everything of mine, and pretend that I have everything of yours, but that is not true. I asked you one thing only - that you don't see Jace or Josh. Is that too much to demand, that you don't spend time with people who might take advantage of your innocence? Is Jace's happiness more important to you than mine? My dear, if that is the case you may return to your old home and take your brother with you and teach him how to be a wh*re. The offer of marriage still stands. The declarations of love are still true. You have drawn them from my lips where no others could and for that I shall eternally resent you. As rich as the Foxxs are, Gray mansion would still be a preferable home. If you are no longer here when I return, I shall shut myself away and never leave this place. I shall take a knife and personally scrape off that tattooed heart, and your name. If you are still here then we shall marry, as we planned. If you love me as you say you do - which I sincerely hope, for both our sakes - no harm will befall anyone. If you leave me as I suspect you will, the lifespan of dear Mr Gray is in severe danger of being cut horribly short.

Yours with eternal love and passion,
Nicholas Antoine Foxx

"Alex!" Nick shouted, sounding firm but trying to keep the rage from his voice so as not to worry Joe too much. It made little difference; the child could sense a lot more than they gave him credit for anyway. "I'm going out. I'm not sure how long I'll be. Don't wait up." He took his car keys and a bottle of vodka from the kitchen, then grabbed his checked shirt from the sofa and slung it over his shoulders to act as a jacket on this warm, summer evening. And with no more thought on the matter he left the note on the floor by the door, folded and addressed to Aleksandr Fyodor Cien, and made his exit from the flat.

Alex ran out, towel still round his waist. But he was too late. The door slammed and Nick was gone. Picking up the letter his hands were shaking horribly. He opened it and read it. Re-read it and read it again. Alex took a deep breath, and returned to the bedroom where he got dressed, there he remained all night. Not moving an inch, Joe came in several times and asked if they could go out and get some sweets from the shops. But Alex refused, he was too afraid that if he left even for a moment Nick would return and it would all be over. Hugging his knees to his chest he heard doors slamming all over the city, he tried to listen out for Nick, but at a time like this, there were too many noises buzzing around in his head.

Nick drove at a dangerously fast speed far away from the city, drank almost the entire bottle and passed out in the driver's seat. He awoke after troubling dreams as the scorching desert sun was rising. His head was pounding, and his vision was blurry, but other than that he felt no pain. Until he remembered why he had driven half way across the state and had drunk nearly a whole bottle of vodka, that is. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, holding the horn down to cover the noise of his frustrated screaming. And then, as if nothing had happened, he became perfectly calm, turned the key in the ignition, and pulled out onto the empty, dusty road and drove back towards the city.

By lunchtime he guessed he had been away long enough to give Alex time to pack and leave, so he returned to the penthouse and fell in through the door. Even though he'd slept the whole night, he was exhausted. He staggered through the lounge and collapsed onto the chaise longue, tears stinging his cheeks.

Alex peeked out from the bedroom door, he hadn't slept at all. He was just waiting for Nick to return. There he was. Alex walked through to where Nick was, his bare feet soundless on the floor. Biting his lip he knelt down beside the chaise longue, too scared to say or do anything. He wanted to tell Nick he loved him, that it would all be okay and that he would do anything he could to make him happy. But he was scared that if he said that Nick would shout at him. So he just sat, in silence, and waited.

Nick sat up, tears veiling his vision. "You...stayed," he croaked, sounding as though he had been crying all day and all night. Then he realised. "You stayed!" he shouted, sitting up and slamming his fist against the chaise. He stood up and began to pace the room, running his hand through his hair and dragging it down his cheeks while his other hand hung by his side, clenched into a fist. Quickly he searched the house mentally; Joe was out, luckily, though how long he would be he couldn't say. "You should have gone!" he cried out suddenly, his voice sounding unlike any other tone he had used with Alex before - high pitched, cracking half way through the sentence as he choked back some tears.

"Of course I stayed," Alex replied, getting slightly shakily to his feet. "Why? Why should I have gone? Because you don't want me anymore? That's it isn't it. You don't want me so you left that letter trying to get me to leave. Well I'm sorry I ruined your plan," Alex mumbled, not wanting to look up at Nick. Slowly he moved back into the bedroom, the bed still made up from the previous morning.

Nick followed him, pushed him over onto the bed and pounced on him, kissing him hungrily and forcefully. "You should have gone because Mr Gray has much more to offer you than I do... And clearly you love him. You're thinking about him now - I know you are - imagining him in my place..." The thought of it made him cry more. It was a strange sensation, to force his tongue into Alex's mouth and kiss him deeply whilst weeping.

[Sorry it's short - have to go.]

Alex growled and rolled Nick over and sat on his chest, pinning his arms back. "Shut up," he said sternly, "I don't love him. I care about him, but I don't love him. Do you really think I'm that sick? I love you. You mean everything to me. You've done so much...and I don't even know why you like me." Sitting there, on Nick's chest, he could imagine them in a few years time. Married - the day Joe goes off to start Sky High, holding hands, not afraid to show that they were together to anyone. Alex sighed and let go of Nick's arms and leant forward to place a quick kiss on his forehead. "Please don't ever leave like that again. I don't want to loose you to anyone," he whispered wiping the tears away from Nick's eyes with his thumb.

He lay there passively, waiting for Alex to finish speaking. "Please don't ever even consider someone else's feelings over mine," he said in response, before turning his head to the side. Much as he'd promised himself to take advantage of every moment they were alone in the house, now was not the time. He was tired, Alex looked ill, and nothing could help him right now. He just lay there with Alex on his chest, a horrible parallel to their first meeting. He reached out and touched his fiancé's hand lightly, then whispered those sentimental, meaningful words: "Your turn."

Alex smiled gently and moved off Nick's chest, allowing him to sit up. As he moved he put his hand over his mouth to try and prevent himself from coughing. But it didn't work. Gagging, Alex closed his eyes as he coughed and coughed. He couldn't even stop for breath, and it hurt. His sides ached and he couldn't even stop coughing to draw breath. Finally it stopped and Alex wiped the tear away from his watery eyes. "S-sorry I don't know where that came from," he whispered as he brushed his eyes a little more.

Nick sat bolt upright, frowning, and placed his hand on Alex's side. "Are you ok?" he asked, deeply concerned. It didn't sound quite like a smoker's cough, and in any case, Alex didn't generally smoke, but it had sounded quite a bit more serious than just an ordinary clearing of the throat. He bit his lip, his initial thought being that it had something to do with the sorts of things they got up to in their spare time, which would obviously put himself at fault or indeed risk. Then again, he'd never had problems like that before, and neither had Alex, which would suggest that it had nothing to do with that. He stroked his boyfriend's side and put his ear to his chest to see if he could hear any wheezes or similar noises.

"I'm fine," Alex insisted, smiling and stroking Nick's hair. He didn't know where that had come from, maybe it was because he hadn't gotten any sleep - did people get coughs for being tired? Or maybe because..."Well, I did have that cold shower," he muttered to himself, remembering the ice cold water on his bare skin. Taking he deep breath it came again, he had to turn away from Nick to make sure that whatever he had wasn't passed on.