Please Come Home

Nick woke up with a start, immediately noticing the quickly cooling spot beside him in the large bed. Taking in the room, the earlier days events playing over in his head.

The worry, the relief, the sorrow... Then the lust, the pain, the pleasure, overwhelming.

And, now, back to sorrow, to a horrible grief for a man not yet dead. For a friend, for a lover, for his golden boy. To the death of beauty, of happiness, of love. All happening while he sat in a mess of silk and let those emotions spill over his cheeks.

With limbs filled up by lead and a sharp ache in Nick's lower back, he shuffled to the edge of Jay's mattress. There, he flung his legs over before standing up and scrambling around the room in search of his clothes. Carelessly pulling his clothes on without mind of how wrinkled and messy he made them in the process, the dark haired male attempted to figure out what he was to do whilst waiting for Gatsby to return.

Because, unlike his cousin, he would wait for Jay. He will wait however long it takes, he won't get married to anyone who asks. He won't settle down unless it's with Jay. No kids, no one night stands, no prostitutes, nothing. He is strong and he is determined.

And so with that in mind, he walked - utterly heartbroken - back to his small cottage. He will wait. He will wait what Daisy could not. He will wait five years, maybe even more, and he will stay loyal.

He doesn't need sex everyday to get by. He doesn't need a constant touch. He just needs to know Gatsby is okay. That he's alive.

And so he waits.

One day.

One week.

One month.

One year...

He goes to work. He eats. He sleeps. He waits.

After the first week, he'd attempted to write a letter to Jay, not even sure if his lover would get it. With that first letter, he was careful about what he said, just in case someone read it.

After the first week, he had begun to get worried that simply Jay didn't get it or didn't have time. Or that something happened to him...

But soon enough, his worries were quelled when it hit the second week. Through the paper, Nick could feel Jay's love for him. That alone made tears cascade down his cheeks and fall onto Gatsby's intricate handwriting.

And like that, he would write a note to his lover every other week immediately after he received Jay's letter. Occasionally, after reading a note tears would still be falling down and drip onto his letter to Gatsby. He would always feel so ashamed when he got word back because worry directed for his well-being would always be there.

He knew he shouldn't be making Jay worry about him like that, when he already had so much on his hands, but the dark haired male couldn't help it.

As this as his only connection to his lover, they each carried on. Writing back and forth for years.

One year.

Two years...

Three years...

Then suddenly at three and a half years of communication without fail, just as it was drawing close for the two to be united once again, it became silent on Jay's part.

Nick waited patiently.

'He's just busy. He must be. He is, after all, protecting our country... Protecting me...' That's what Nick told himself for the first three weeks after he sent a letter to not get a reply two weeks after like he normally did. So he wrote another note to Gatsby.

Then those three extra weeks became a month. A month became two, which also became another letter. Next three and four, months and notes sent. Five months and five writings of silence. Six months and seven desperate scribbles, more tear stains.

Now, it was becoming the seventh month, the ninth letter and a little more than five years. Nick sat at his desk, writing slowly with a blank face but tired, sad eyes. He was - once again - writing to Gatsby, praying to whatever would listen to please let his lover come back, safe and sound. Or, at the very least, get a letter in return from his sunshine.

A heart wrenched sigh broke its way past his throat and threw his lips. A wetness slipped by his eye lids and drove themselves down his cheeks as he lost himself in thought midway in his writing. He dropped his pen and gently tugged at his hair, sobs pulling their way from his lungs.

Out of nowhere, a loud, excited banging echoed through the tiny house and made their way to his ears. Startled, Nick's crying were choked down. Different thoughts flew into his head.

Who in the world could that be? Post man, maybe? Is it that time already? Huh. I suppose there's no use sitting around here and speculating. With that, he pushed out of his chair, quickly began wiping the tears from his face and began to walk to the door.

It was a - more or less - short distance to cross before he was at the door and pulling it open with a small but forced smile.

"Sorry that took so long. I wasn't expecting anyone and I was a bit distracted wri-" he immediately cut himself off when he saw who was standing there confidently at his door. The sun, just behind the man but the smile on his face was even brighter than the star could ever hope to be.

Standing there at his door... Was the one and only Jay Gatsby.

His Jay Gatsby.

Shocked into silence, Nick stood there with his lips parted like a fish out of water.

"Hello, old sport!" That familiar honey voice chirped out.

With that, Nick was tossed out of his stupor and immediately sent his arms around Jay's neck. The sudden contact made Gatsby stumble back just a little, before his arms wound themselves tightly around the smaller mans waist.

Tears flowed freely down both of their faces and neither wanted to let the other go.

All good things must come to an end...

"I missed you so much, Jay! I was so scared you weren't going to come back..."

Nick pulled back just enough to look Jay in the eye...

And, what he didn't notice before, a tight bandage covering the left side of Gatsby's face. Worry automatically seeped into Nick's face as he looked.

Spotting the expression across the smaller mans face, Jay kept his smile more casually on his lips.

"I got shot, nothing too bad. I mean, well yes, I lost my vision in my left eye, but I'm still as handsome as ever beneath all this, I promise, Nick." Gatsby tried to explain in an attempt at making his lover less worried.

It didn't help Nick's worry.

"You got shot?!" The short male screeched as he let his taller boyfriend inside and shut the door behind him.

Immediately after, Nick began to fuss over Jay's injury. Making the tall male sit down on a couch as he went to get some tea, the best he had at the moment, and make some snacks as he was sure his lover mustn't had been fed as well as he possibly should have.

Jay didn't pay attention to the fussing where Nick made him sit down, instead choosing to follow the dark haired male a minute after. That only served to make Nick fuss more and make Gatsby sit down at the table which wasn't nearly as far as the couch.

Jay playfully grumbled out that he was perfectly fine to stand - a small pout and everything dancing on his face - but he stayed seated when Nick bent to hold him down. His pout disappeared into a goofy grin when, as as he was standing up, Nick pressed a gently kiss to his nose.

Nick got the tea and some food before finally joining Jay at the table, choosing the seat to his lovers right. After a few minutes of Jay eagerly eating and sipping every now and then - Nick's hunch had been correct about the food - and the shorter male simply watching on with a grin, the pair fell into small talk. Mostly about what they had both been doing. Nick never dating anyone else. Neither, Nick had been surprised to learn, ever had any one night stands.

Jay was proud of himself for that, and Nick was grateful to him for it.

As the day ran on, both had continuously scooted their chairs closer and closer together until they ended up with Nick on Jay's lap and Jay's hands covering Nick's hips. Nick's head rested against Gatsby's chest, eyes shut and a contented smile spread across his lips.

"Know, old sport, I'm so happy that I met Daisy all those years ago." Jay started as Nick's blood froze and his eyes snapped open.

Oh... I see...

"I'm glad she broke my heart, and married someone else. I'm glad she had a child with someone else and got her..." Gatsby paused for a moment before carrying on. "Happiness. If she hadn't, I'm not sure I'd have ever gotten with you. I'd take her rejection and heartbreak a million times over if that means I even have at least a tiny shot with you." He smiled so warmly.

Oh .

Nick couldn't fight the grin off his face even if he tried. But he didn't want to fight it, and, instead of some poetic response, he simply kissed Jay and put all his passion for the other man into that.