Go Jackals ch 7

[10th-letter.livejournal.com]

Creidt for the banner goes to the amazing OnlyTrueLove!


Title: Go Jackals, Ch. 7
Ratings: PG-13 for bad language
Spoilers: None really, AU
Summary: A Nick/Greg AU set in college. Vaguely inspired by the song "Hey Mickey" and my un healthy love for writing Nick/Greg roleplaying and/or AU
Previous Chapters: Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six

A/N: WMTDB wouldn't let me upload Chapter 7. So you guys have the exclusive. There's only two more chapters left. I was toying with the idea of doing a sequel set in the same universe just in the present, would anyone be interested in reading it? Oh, and the articles Nick and Brad talk about are real. Sports Illustrated's website has issues backed up online should you care to see what they're talking about. Thank's for reading!



Brad sat on his bed, his Economics book on his lap. He was reviewing the principles of supply and demand when he heard a key turning the lock.

Nick strolled in, a grin on his face and a bag from Frigid Granite Creamery in his hand.

“Oh! Hi Brad,” said Nick, placing the bag down on his bed with a THUNK, “I didn’t know what type of ice cream you like so I got Mint Chocolate Chip and ‘Fruit Cocktail’,” he said pulling out green and neon pink boxes.

“Awesome, thanks,” said Brad, his mind elsewhere.

Nick closed the door of their minifridge, “Are you OK? I could go to the library if you need to study or something,” he asked, concern on his face.

“What?” blurted Brad, momentarily stunned, “No, um, actually Nick,” he said, closing his textbook and looking at Nick for the first time since the latter had returned, “We need to talk.”

~~

Greg turned the knob on his and Don’s door, winking at the pictures of him and Don the RA had placed on their door. Don was sitting on his bed, a picture glass side down next to him and a gallon container of ice cream in his lap.

Uh-oh, thought Greg making the connection between the spoon sticking out of Don’s mouth and the box of Rocky Road in his roommate’s lap, this is bad.

“Hey, Don,” said Greg tentatively, “What’s wrong?”

Don gasped quietly, shocked out of his trance, the spoon fell into the ice cream container, “What? Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Bullshit. You’re face is red and your wrist-deep in ice cream. If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume you’d been listening to sad music on the stereo. What picture is that?” said Greg, reaching across Don and grabbing the picture before the taller man could protest.

Once Greg saw the picture he knew he’d be in for a heavy discussion, “Oh. It’s that picture. Let me get the Kleenex.”

~~

“’Talk’? About what?” asked Nick, sitting across from Brad.

“I was in the Student Center after your little, ‘announcement’.” explained Brad.

“Oh. So you heard.”

“Yeah. I heard.”

“Look, Brad. I hope this doesn’t change anything between us. I mean, I really did just come out and I’m still dealing with it myself and-“ Nick said, speaking way too fast for his roommate to keep up.

“Nick, take a breath. First off. I don’t care that you’re gay.” Said Brad.

Nick was stunned, “Really?”

“Yeah. Well, had this all happened a few weeks ago, maybe I would’ve been a little less open-minded, but I talked to my mom a little while ago and she helped me realize some things. Yeah, maybe I’ve been a little homophobic in the past and if anything I’ve ever said hurt you, I’m sorry,” said Brad.

“You didn’t.”

“Thanks, but there’s some habits I could probably change,”

“You don’t have to change anything just because of me, Brad.”

“Yeah. I do. You’re a nice guy, Nick. And I’d like to stay your friend. We all have shit we need to deal with and I want to be there for you. Your family’s full of devout Catholics, right?” asked Brad.

“Unfortunately”

“And they probably spout homophobic crap all the time, right? Mine do.”

“Yeah.”

“And family can be a pain, my dad’s one of the biggest investment bankers in Manhattan. He only agreed to let me come to WLVU if I majored in Business and followed in his footsteps. But, I guess we both have secrets we’re hiding from our families.” Said Brad, climbing off his bed and pacing around the room.

“What do you mean?” asked Nick, following Brad around the room.

“I can’t stand being a Business Major.” Said Brad, a weight seemingly lifted off his shoulders.

“You can’t?” asked Nick, stunned, “You’re doing great in all your classes.”

“Thanks. But if I tell you something, can you keep in a secret?” asked Brad, locking eyes with Nick.

Nick looked back at Brad and raised an eyebrow.

“Right, stupid question,” replied Brad, realizing his mistake, “I want to be a sports journalist.” He said quickly as if the thought of holding it back any longer would drive him insane.

“Really? Cool!” exclaimed Nick.

“Really? You don’t think it’s weird or anything?” asked Brad.

“Brad, I just revealed my deepest, darkest secret to the entire school and spent three hours talking to the male cheerleader I saved from being beaten up by one of my teammates. I stopped thinking things were weird a while ago. Would you wanna specialize in any particular sport?” asked Nick.

“Well, you’re not gonna laugh, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, my best bet to get a job would be if I had a wide area of expertise. Baseball, football, basketball. The types of sports that get covered a lot. But I really want to focus on soccer. I know it’s not all that big over here, but I grew up watching the World Cup with my butler every year.”

“Cool! Wait, you have a butler?” asked Nick, stunned.

“Yeah. We’re not crazy with all the rules and regulations like some of my dad’s friends, but he helped raise me when my dad was away on trips. We’d bond over soccer. Well, he called it ‘football’, but you know what I mean. So that’s enough sharing from me. Your turn. When did you realize you were gay?”

~~

Greg tossed the box of tissues at Don and pulled his chair around to face him. “Pass a spoon and start talking.”

“You can’t possibly still want ice cream! You just spent three hours talking to Nick at Frigid Granite!” blurted Don, shocked.

Greg scoffed, “Yeah, but there’s always room for ice cream.”

“If you don’t watch it, you’re going to get a belly.” Said Don, handing Greg a relatively clean spoon.

“Uh-huh, nice try. This isn’t about me. This is about you. And Danny. And his girlfriend, What’s-Her-Name.” replied Greg, taking the spoon and digging into the ice cream.

“Her name’s Lindsay.”

“Her name doesn’t matter. What matters is your feelings for Danny.”

“He’s my best friend. He’s funny, quick-witted, smart as hell and he never lets me get too full of myself.” Said Don, wistfully.

“But he’s also got a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, but I never saw the attraction. I’ve only met her a few times, but she’s turned him into this… thing, ya know?”

“Not really, but go on.”

“Whenever he’s around her, all his attention’s on her!”

“Sounds like he loves her.”

“Trust me. I know what love is, and that ain’t it. It’s like some zombification crap.”

“But if he’s happy…”

“He’s not. I mean he says he is, but I’d be so much better for him. Whenever we hang out, his mind’s nowhere near her!”

“But do you want what’s best for you, or what’s best for him?” asked Greg.

“Him, obviously, but I’m not sure she’s right for him.”

“That’s something you need to let him decide, Don.”

“Ya, I know.”

“And if you truly are his friend, you’ll be there when and if things don’t work out.”

“And I’ll be there to help him pick up the pieces.”

“For the record, he’d be a fool not to fall for you.” Said Greg, smiling.

“Thanks, Greg. Oh! Shit! I forgot about your thing with Nick! How’d it go?” asked Don, leaning forward, the ice cream forgotten.

~~

“Luckily, my sister, Maggie, had lots of back issues of TeenBeat lying around. I’d tell her I was throwing them out for her, but I ‘forgot’ a lot. If that didn’t work, I had a subscription to Sports Illustrated.” Said Nick, a smile on his face, filled with relief at having someone to talk to.

“And here I was just reading the articles,” joked Brad, “Gary Smith did this amazing article about Native American basketball players once. That’s what made me want to go into sports reporting. He does all these human interest stories.”

“I think I remember that issue! There was this article on this high school all-star that I, um, remember…” stammered Nick, blushing.

“Right, for the writing, of course.” Joked Brad.

“Of course.”

“So, what kind of ice cream did you get again?” asked Brad, suddenly hungry.

“Mint Chocolate Chip and Fruit Cocktail.”

“How about some Fruit Cocktail?” asked Brad.

“Sure,” said Nick, taking the box out of the minifridge.

“Wow, that box is really gay,” said Brad. He realized his mistake and quickly apologized.

“Relax, Brad. It’s ok. The box is pretty gay.” Smiled Nick.

~~

“I still can’t believe you were gone that long. But it sounds like you two got along great.” Said Don, after Greg had filled him in about his and Nick’s adventure at Frigid Granite.

“Yeah. We did.” Replied Greg, grinning.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Aiden’s having a party on Saturday before the Pride Week events start. I talked to the Dean and he said you and Nick could still participate in the events. So, you in?”

Greg was stunned and reaching for the phone before he could stop himself, “Of course! Can I invite Nick?”

Comments

[lillyg.livejournal.com]

Yay to Brad! He's pretty cool! The part about Sports Illustrated is funny.

And I agree! There's always room for ice-cream!

[shaynnaloves.livejournal.com]

Way to go Brad! I'm so glad for an update... now let's get Nick and Greg back together for more bonding!

[charlie-jae.livejournal.com]

Awwww, yay for Brad keepin an open mind and Nick not loosing a friend. Looks like they'll be pretty solid for the long haul.

Love that Greg is there for Don, I just about cracked up with this line: “Oh. It’s that picture. Let me get the Kleenex.”

He knows him so well. Very cool chapter.

[devo79.livejournal.com]

I just read all chapters and like this very much :)