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When he spoke, his voice was gently teasing "Do I pass reat Good Yeah

Fine"

Jesus, was he going to sound like a raving idiot every tiuy? Me Nick Me like boys Me especially like how you look in that pea coat

Adam smiled, and it chased soood, fine, too Are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually" He hadn’t eaten dinner beforehis brothers, and there sure hadn’t been tiotten home Nick reached for the keys, but he couldn’t start the car

His brain was screa at him Public! Public! Public! He didn’t knohether that was better or worse than going down to Adam’s aparto?"

"Little place up the road Dirt cheap and always deserted because they don’t have a liquor license"

Soreat"

Adam reached out and stopped his hand before he could start the engine "I thought maybe we could walk" He paused "Unless you think the weather won’t hold It’s windy Might rain"

Nick looked at Adam’s hand on his wrist "It won’t rain"

The elco up to swirl around him He could feel rain on the air, but a distant pro they’d have to worry about for hours yet He was glad for the chance to walk With a destination and a task and his ele him power, his brain relaxed a little

Until Ada in your car for a while"

Wind rushed between darkened buildings to for the sidewalk Nick fed energy into the air, sending theht overhead,their walk very dark between streetla for me"

"I wasn’t Not really" Adam paused, and that hint of uncertain tension found his voice "I figured I could use a walk either way"

Either way Nick took a second to figure that out Ada hi in the car--quite obviously not getting out Shame took Nick by the shoulders and shook hi everyone today

"I’m sorry I was late," he said

"Don’t be You’re here" But Ada Nick to wonder how ain Nick let the air swirl around thenal of how to proceed

"I didn’t mean to ambush you," Adam finally said

Nick looked over, confused

"When you were sitting in your car Were you thinking of leaving?"

Nick inhaled to lie, but then thought better of it He nodded

Ada "When I saw you sitting there, I thought about doing the sah his head Finally getting the guts to walk down to Ada no one hohts he’d been having in the car, he probably would have deserved it

"I’h

"Just because I’m out doesn’t mean I don’t care, Nick"

Nick It was the first time he’d heard Adam say his name, and it sounded like an accusation

"I know that," he said tightly

"If you’re not ready for this," Adaet it Trust et it If you want to walk away, it’s fine But don’t stringwhile you--"

"Jesus," Nick snapped "I’rab his arm, to stop him, to confront him

But Adam was suddenly five feet away, his back to the darkened building, his shoulders tight, his hands curled into fists

Breath left his mouth in quickened bursts

Nick held still for awhen he sensed Adaht His fists were up now, his expression re-solved

Nick kept his own hands low "Did you think I was going to hit you?" he said carefully "I wasn’t I wouldn’t"

Adaht, when Adam had almost flinched from his touch Then the fear faded, quickly replaced by so again

"Whoa" Nick caught his arm and hauled hiht ahead His arm was tense under Nick’s hand

Nickyou along," he said quietly "I thought about leaving, but I wasn’t going to I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day"

Adao warm

"All day?" said Adam

"I failed a physics test because of it"

A shadow of that easy confidence sneaked back into Adaht because of you"