“How was I supposed to know he would turn up drunk?” Tyler said, not appreciating Nick’s tone.
Nick glowered. “You could have told him to leave when you saw that he wasn’t sober—you know, before he got naked and horny. Are you that desperate for cock?”
Tyler felt his ears burn. “You’re starting to piss me off, man.”
“Me?” Nick said, his fingers digging into his shoulders, hard. “It’s fucking two in the morning, I have class in a few hours, but I have to rescue your ass from some drunk git because you’re thirsty for cock but too much of a chicken to act like an adult about it.”
“Fuck you,” Tyler bit off, trying to free himself from Nick’s grip. “You shouldn’t have come if it was such a bother.” Hating how thick his voice got and hoping to distract Nick, Tyler went on the offensive. “Why are you so angry? You’ve saved me from far more ridiculous situations. I thought you’d mock me, not chew me out. What the hell? Why are you so pissed off?”
Nick’s jaw tightened. “I’m pissed off,” he said, very evenly, “because you’re too bloody careless. You could have gotten hurt, Tyler. Even if that bloke weren’t drunk, you could have gotten hurt. You sound pretty damn offensive when you start spouting shit about not being gay, as if being gay is something terrible. I don’t take offense because I know you don’t mean it that way, but random strangers wouldn’t know that. I’m angry because I was worried, you twat.”
Tyler frowned, his anger draining out of him.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, dropping his gaze. He hadn’t realized that what he said sounded offensive. He was used to being able to say anything to Nick without offending him; he hadn’t realized that other people might take his words the wrong way.
Nick sighed, tugging him into a loose hug. “Just don’t do it again,” he said.
Tyler put his arms around Nick’s waist, hugging him back. The hug felt a little strange but so damn good, just what he needed after the weeks of uncertainty and self-doubt. Nick’s familiar scent was weirdly calming, and Tyler found himself tightening his arms around him, closing his eyes and relaxing. It felt as though he was breathing freely for the first time in weeks. Nick was still his best mate. Everything was right with the world.
“I would have chickened out even if he weren’t drunk,” he said quietly, pressing his nose to the juncture between Nick’s neck and shoulder.
Nick snorted. “Too gay?”
“Kinda,” Tyler admitted, and tensed as Nick’s hands slid up and down his bare back. The gesture was probably supposed to be comforting, but his sex-starved body still seemed to associate Nick with mind-blowing orgasms, so the touch was turning him on instead. A little embarrassed by his totally inappropriate arousal, Tyler tried to keep their hips apart so that Nick wouldn’t notice his hardening cock. “Like, now I know for sure I’m definitely not gay. I couldn’t imagine letting that guy fuck me. I didn’t even want his cock—not really.”
For a long moment, Nick said nothing, his hands on the small of Tyler’s back.
“You want mine.” It was a statement, uttered in a strange tone.
“No, I mean…” Tyler licked his lips. It had been weeks. “I do miss it,” he mumbled, glad that Nick couldn’t see his flushed face.
“My cock,” Nick stated, in the same strange, clipped tone.
Tyler nodded. “I know: you’re dating someone,” he said sulkily. Did it make him a bad person that he didn’t give a shit about that Brad person? He was just a name. It was so bloody unfair. Brad had known Nick for a few weeks. Tyler had been his best friend since they were kids. Surely that gave him more right to Nick’s cock?
Tyler bit his lip to keep himself from saying it, because he realized how ridiculous it sounded. “Have you fucked him yet?”
His hands gripping Tyler’s shoulders, Nick pushed him back to study his face. “What’s it to you?” he said, his face inscrutable, his eyes gleaming with some emotion Tyler couldn’t read.
Tyler shrugged, avoiding his gaze. His thoughts sounded daft, even in his own head. He just…he didn’t like thinking of Nick’s cock in some pretty, dark-haired gay guy. Even imagining it made his fists clench and his teeth ache from how hard he was gritting them.
Nick laughed. There was something unfamiliar in that laugh, some sharp edge Tyler didn’t like.
“You’re fucking unbelievable,” Nick said. “You are very straight, you aren’t into me, but you think my cock is your property. Is that right?”
Tyler looked down, his face warm.
“Answer me,” Nick said, taking his chin and forcing him to look him in the eye. “Is that right, Tyler?”
Tyler eyed him warily, his stomach fluttering with nerves. It was weird, but the man speaking to him sounded nothing like his best friend. It was like looking at a different person, a total stranger. There was none of the exasperated, long-suffering affection Nick usually looked at him with. Instead, there was something mean and hard in Nick’s eyes.