Is Yet Slash Yaoi Original Fiction Novel Story

Epi was gone so long Nick was considering going back to the men’s room and knocking but before he had to make that choice Epi finally emerged. His eyes were red and his nose was a little as well but if he’d been crying there were no tears on his face now to show it. Other than the little redness, Epi looked as he always did.

“Are we going back in?” Epi’s voice shook a little.

“No, he said he’d finish up and you should go get something to eat and go home.”

A long shuddering breath rush out of Epi and he nodded. “So long as we stop someplace I can get a drink. Christ, I need a drink…” He caught the worried look from Nick. “Just a glass of wine, not asking to do shots.”

“One glass.”

“Yes, mommy.”

Nick picked a decent place for dinner but nothing fancy. They ate in silence and Nick didn’t force any conversation. Generally he would have picked up the tab but he made sure the waitress wrote up two checks. He didn’t want Epi to think he was coddling him any more than he wanted him to think that he was expecting him to pay simply because Nick now knew he had money. He changed nothing about what they normally did when they got something to eat while out.

They drove home in silence too. Nick took extra care to be careful and take even sharp curves and turns gently. It didn’t seem to matter much. Epi was on edge the entire time. He clutched at the arm rest and his eyes stayed locked straight ahead. It was painful to watch and doubly so now that Nick really knew why. By the time they got home it was almost dark and he was exhausted just from having to watch Epi’s tension. There was little doubt the other man would be physically, as well as emotionally, twice as exhausted.

“Let me grab your crutches.” Nick muttered as he hopped out of the car. He’d never been so grateful to be able bodied in his life or so aware of how lucky he was. One stupid mistake, one split second accident and anything could happen and he now held a greater awareness of how fragile his life really was.

“Thanks.” Epi muttered as he accepted the crutches. It bothered him how used to them he was getting. When he’d first been given them he’d fumbled with getting them settled on his hands and arms right and getting the braced on the ground properly to help him up. Now it was second nature as he pushed off the seat and got to his feet.

“I’m going up to change, did you want a pain pill?” Tori had suggested strongly to suggest just as strongly to Epi to take a pain pill when he needed it. For the most part Nick had left the other man alone about it but he figured if ever there was a time when Epi would be sore and aching, it would be tonight.

Epi didn’t answer him right away, just stared at Nick. “I did love him.” He confessed when he finally spoke. “I just couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t do it again, I know that’s selfish I just…I couldn’t do the whole lying addict rehab forgiveness cycle again.”

He’d been trying not to look at Epi because the raw, hurt, openness on the other man’s face was oddly attractive to him. It didn’t make Nick want to cuddle or comfort Epi, it made him want to drag the slender man away and remind him that he was still alive. He glanced up carefully and got caught in Epi’s eyes. “That’s understandable.”

“I’ll tell you what I haven’t told my shrink.” Epi’s lips quirked in a tight bitter, frightening smirk that had nothing of pleasure or amusement in it. “I thought I was dying, in the wreck, I thought I was going to die. I’ve never been more disappointed than I was when the medics told me I was going to be okay. I don’t know how to forgive Timothy for not finishing what he started and leaving me like this.”

The smirk had distorted into a sneer and the deepening shadows of dusk made Epi look haunted. It was more than Nick could stand and watch. Maybe Epi needed tenderness, gentleness but that wasn’t something Nick had ever really been good at and to try to be good at it now felt foolish. He stepped forward, obviously moving into Epi’s personal space and caught the lean shoulder before Epi could step back.

It was stupid, it was incredibly stupid, but Nick didn’t stop himself. Before Epi knew what he was going to do, Nick had caught the back of the man’s neck. The bones felt too sharp under the skin and it made Epi’s neck feel fragile like he could crush it with his too rough touch. Instead he splayed his fingers up to the base of Epi’s skull, the soft too long hair parting around his hand, and held Epi still as he pressed his lips to the other man’s mouth.

Epi’s lips were a tense line under his own but Nick didn’t retreat. When the slender man pulled away a little, he held him firmly in place. The damage was done, he’d crossed the line and he was fully going to exploit the situation since he might not ever have the chance again. He felt Epi’s body tense under his hands but the lips he was carefully nibbling on softened. That small surrender was more than Nick had expected to gain so when Epi’s lips parted and the proud man actively and openly kissed him back, it was Nick’s turn to be caught in surprise.

There was a taste of wine to the kiss, tart and acidic. It made Nick smile because Epi was tart and acidic so it seemed only proper the first kiss he’d stolen from the man should taste that way. His fingers petted into the soft, shoulder length hair, stroked a little along the slender column of Epi’s neck but his hand on Epi’s shoulder stayed still and made sure Epi didn’t pull away.

“Hmm…” Epi moaned a little but Nick didn’t catch the tone of it. He was busy being surprised by how strongly Epi was kissing him back, how demanding his kiss was. Once some of the shock wore off, Nick was startled by how good Epi was at kissing. He wasn’t at all passive or stand offish like Nick had anticipated and he was enjoying the challenging air to Epi’s kiss far more than he had expected to.

Epi’s shoulder rolled a little under his hand but Nick was now too caught in the kiss to remember to hold the other man still. His hand slipped away, down Epi’s arm to rest at his elbow. He wanted to slip his hand around Epi’s waist and pull them closer together but he was worried what would happen if they were suddenly pressed together.

“Mmmm….” Epi sighed again and this time Nick heard the weak protest in the sound. The tone sunk in as Epi rolled his shoulder again only this time he stepped back at the same time. He stumbled a little as he caught his balance on the crutches but Epi didn’t fall.

Nick let him go. A kiss could only last so long and they’d pushed each other about as far as was safe. Now he simply had to wait for Epi to yell at him or curse at him, he didn’t think Epi was the sort to actually slap or hit him but Nick had been surprised before. Only, Epi didn’t do either. He simply stepped back and studied Nick like he was some odd creature he didn’t know before he silently shook his head and turned to hurry up the ramp toward the house.

There was a part of him that wanted to shout at Epi and follow him. He could be at the door a lot faster than Epi could and easily block the other man from going inside. Nick knew he should apologize but he didn’t like to lie and he wasn’t sorry. It was just the timing that was bad and his following after trying to make it right again wasn’t going to help any. There would be time enough for that tomorrow.

Even if both of his legs were flesh and worked properly, Epi wasn’t sure he’d actually run away. Walk quickly and with a fast pace, yes but maybe not actually run. As it was his dignity was spared by his limitations and he hurried away from Nick as quickly as he could. With each step he quietly prayed that Nick would let him go and as he got closer to the door and Nick still stood by the car he was pretty sure he was going to safely make his escape. He didn’t slow down until he had the door shut behind him and had his back to it.

Epi’s lips burned. The kiss made lips feel scalded and his nerves tingling. The last thing he had expected was for Nick to kiss him. Some part of him had known that eventually someone would kiss him again, in a few years, maybe more but he hadn’t been really ready for it. He certainly wasn’t ready for it from Nick. More so, he wasn’t ready for how good it felt.

If he was going to be honest, it had been a long time since he’d been kissed like that. His relationship with Timothy, while not sexless, had grown strained before the accident. Kissing for the sheer raw pleasure of kissing had been forgotten and Epi had been caught off guard by how good it felt. And worse, it had been with Nick, football playing, be all you can be, pass for straight Nick that had grabbed him and kissed him silly.

The tie around his neck suddenly felt too tight and Epi tugged it to get it loose. “God damn…” He whispered into the growing darkness of the room. He wasn’t aroused, not quite but if the shock of just who it was he had been kissing hadn’t smacked him across the head he would have been. Nick was like his high school wet dream of the untouchable object of fantasy, the boy Epi had never even dared imagine kissing.

The reality wasn’t disappointing. Nick, it turned out, was a very good kisser with just the right amount of aggressiveness and a hint of surrender. More than the kiss, it had felt shockingly good to be touched by someone not a medical professional and not in a helpfully casual way. It left him wondering about those strong hands on the small of his back or curled around his waist. So good, in fact, that if situations had been different, Epi would have been seriously tempted to indulge in a casual romp.

It was that thought that reminded him of just what situation he was in. Nick wasn’t the sort of man to actually be attracted to Epi even on at Epi’s best and he certainly wasn’t going to be attracted to Epi as he was. Every broken bone, every scar, every wound was a physical reminder of what a freak he’d become and a sharp reminder that the odds were strongly against anyone ever really wanting him again.

That meant that Nick had kissed him out of pity or sympathy. No matter how far down he may have sunk, Epi wasn’t to the point where he’d accept a pity kiss or attention because someone felt sorry for him. That made his face flush not from desire but embarrassment and humiliation and than from anger. Part of him wanted to sulk away and accept that he’d found himself in such a state that he’d be grateful for such a kiss even if it was rooted in pity but the larger part refused to retreat. He’d never had accepted that before and he wasn’t going to accept it now.

It was fully dark outside and getting much colder but the light by the garage was on and he could see clearly enough. Nick wasn’t hovering by the car any longer, instead the lights of his apartment were on. The steps up to the small landing were steep and instead of trying to manage them Epi scooped up a few small pebbles. He could toss them up and get Nick’s attention, it always worked in movies, and he’d be safe from those steps.

The first one he threw didn’t even make it to the landing. “God, I throw like a girl.” Epi muttered and tossed the next one harder. It bounced off the railing and came flying back at him. The third one somehow didn’t even make it to the landing and yet managed to ricochet back to hit Nick’s car. “Damn it!”

There was nothing to do but go up there or go back inside. He wasn’t going to go back into the house, not without telling Nick off and he made his way carefully up the first few steps. His wrist hurt, it hurt awfully and that made him a little unstable but Epi had been practicing and it paid off now. He made it to the top without trouble and heavily knocked on Nick’s door.

The door swung open and Nick stood in the opening, in flannel plaid pants and a white cotton t-shirt with bare feet. For a second Epi forgot to be angry as his mind whispered that Nick was changed for bed and looked fine. It left him standing there, wide eyed and silent.

		Is Yet Chapter Eighteen
		Epi was gone so long Nick was considering going back to the men’s room and knocking but before he had to make that choice Epi finally emerged. His eyes were red and his nose was a little as well but if he’d been crying there were no tears on his face now to show it. Other than the little redness, Epi looked as he always did. “Are we going back in?” Epi’s voice shook a little. “No, he said he’d finish up and you should go get something to eat and go home.” A long shuddering breath rush out of Epi and he nodded. “So long as we stop someplace I can get a drink. Christ, I need a drink…” He caught the worried look from Nick. “Just a glass of wine, not asking to do shots.” “One glass.” “Yes, mommy.” Nick picked a decent place for dinner but nothing fancy. They ate in silence and Nick didn’t force any conversation. Generally he would have picked up the tab but he made sure the waitress wrote up two checks. He didn’t want Epi to think he was coddling him any more than he wanted him to think that he was expecting him to pay simply because Nick now knew he had money. He changed nothing about what they normally did when they got something to eat while out. They drove home in silence too. Nick took extra care to be careful and take even sharp curves and turns gently. It didn’t seem to matter much. Epi was on edge the entire time. He clutched at the arm rest and his eyes stayed locked straight ahead. It was painful to watch and doubly so now that Nick really knew why. By the time they got home it was almost dark and he was exhausted just from having to watch Epi’s tension. There was little doubt the other man would be physically, as well as emotionally, twice as exhausted. “Let me grab your crutches.” Nick muttered as he hopped out of the car. He’d never been so grateful to be able bodied in his life or so aware of how lucky he was. One stupid mistake, one split second accident and anything could happen and he now held a greater awareness of how fragile his life really was. “Thanks.” Epi muttered as he accepted the crutches. It bothered him how used to them he was getting. When he’d first been given them he’d fumbled with getting them settled on his hands and arms right and getting the braced on the ground properly to help him up. Now it was second nature as he pushed off the seat and got to his feet. “I’m going up to change, did you want a pain pill?” Tori had suggested strongly to suggest just as strongly to Epi to take a pain pill when he needed it. For the most part Nick had left the other man alone about it but he figured if ever there was a time when Epi would be sore and aching, it would be tonight. Epi didn’t answer him right away, just stared at Nick. “I did love him.” He confessed when he finally spoke. “I just couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t do it again, I know that’s selfish I just…I couldn’t do the whole lying addict rehab forgiveness cycle again.” He’d been trying not to look at Epi because the raw, hurt, openness on the other man’s face was oddly attractive to him. It didn’t make Nick want to cuddle or comfort Epi, it made him want to drag the slender man away and remind him that he was still alive. He glanced up carefully and got caught in Epi’s eyes. “That’s understandable.” “I’ll tell you what I haven’t told my shrink.” Epi’s lips quirked in a tight bitter, frightening smirk that had nothing of pleasure or amusement in it. “I thought I was dying, in the wreck, I thought I was going to die. I’ve never been more disappointed than I was when the medics told me I was going to be okay. I don’t know how to forgive Timothy for not finishing what he started and leaving me like this.” The smirk had distorted into a sneer and the deepening shadows of dusk made Epi look haunted. It was more than Nick could stand and watch. Maybe Epi needed tenderness, gentleness but that wasn’t something Nick had ever really been good at and to try to be good at it now felt foolish. He stepped forward, obviously moving into Epi’s personal space and caught the lean shoulder before Epi could step back. It was stupid, it was incredibly stupid, but Nick didn’t stop himself. Before Epi knew what he was going to do, Nick had caught the back of the man’s neck. The bones felt too sharp under the skin and it made Epi’s neck feel fragile like he could crush it with his too rough touch. Instead he splayed his fingers up to the base of Epi’s skull, the soft too long hair parting around his hand, and held Epi still as he pressed his lips to the other man’s mouth. Epi’s lips were a tense line under his own but Nick didn’t retreat. When the slender man pulled away a little, he held him firmly in place. The damage was done, he’d crossed the line and he was fully going to exploit the situation since he might not ever have the chance again. He felt Epi’s body tense under his hands but the lips he was carefully nibbling on softened. That small surrender was more than Nick had expected to gain so when Epi’s lips parted and the proud man actively and openly kissed him back, it was Nick’s turn to be caught in surprise. There was a taste of wine to the kiss, tart and acidic. It made Nick smile because Epi was tart and acidic so it seemed only proper the first kiss he’d stolen from the man should taste that way. His fingers petted into the soft, shoulder length hair, stroked a little along the slender column of Epi’s neck but his hand on Epi’s shoulder stayed still and made sure Epi didn’t pull away. “Hmm…” Epi moaned a little but Nick didn’t catch the tone of it. He was busy being surprised by how strongly Epi was kissing him back, how demanding his kiss was. Once some of the shock wore off, Nick was startled by how good Epi was at kissing. He wasn’t at all passive or stand offish like Nick had anticipated and he was enjoying the challenging air to Epi’s kiss far more than he had expected to. Epi’s shoulder rolled a little under his hand but Nick was now too caught in the kiss to remember to hold the other man still. His hand slipped away, down Epi’s arm to rest at his elbow. He wanted to slip his hand around Epi’s waist and pull them closer together but he was worried what would happen if they were suddenly pressed together. “Mmmm….” Epi sighed again and this time Nick heard the weak protest in the sound. The tone sunk in as Epi rolled his shoulder again only this time he stepped back at the same time. He stumbled a little as he caught his balance on the crutches but Epi didn’t fall. Nick let him go. A kiss could only last so long and they’d pushed each other about as far as was safe. Now he simply had to wait for Epi to yell at him or curse at him, he didn’t think Epi was the sort to actually slap or hit him but Nick had been surprised before. Only, Epi didn’t do either. He simply stepped back and studied Nick like he was some odd creature he didn’t know before he silently shook his head and turned to hurry up the ramp toward the house. There was a part of him that wanted to shout at Epi and follow him. He could be at the door a lot faster than Epi could and easily block the other man from going inside. Nick knew he should apologize but he didn’t like to lie and he wasn’t sorry. It was just the timing that was bad and his following after trying to make it right again wasn’t going to help any. There would be time enough for that tomorrow. Even if both of his legs were flesh and worked properly, Epi wasn’t sure he’d actually run away. Walk quickly and with a fast pace, yes but maybe not actually run. As it was his dignity was spared by his limitations and he hurried away from Nick as quickly as he could. With each step he quietly prayed that Nick would let him go and as he got closer to the door and Nick still stood by the car he was pretty sure he was going to safely make his escape. He didn’t slow down until he had the door shut behind him and had his back to it. Epi’s lips burned. The kiss made lips feel scalded and his nerves tingling. The last thing he had expected was for Nick to kiss him. Some part of him had known that eventually someone would kiss him again, in a few years, maybe more but he hadn’t been really ready for it. He certainly wasn’t ready for it from Nick. More so, he wasn’t ready for how good it felt. If he was going to be honest, it had been a long time since he’d been kissed like that. His relationship with Timothy, while not sexless, had grown strained before the accident. Kissing for the sheer raw pleasure of kissing had been forgotten and Epi had been caught off guard by how good it felt. And worse, it had been with Nick, football playing, be all you can be, pass for straight Nick that had grabbed him and kissed him silly. The tie around his neck suddenly felt too tight and Epi tugged it to get it loose. “God damn…” He whispered into the growing darkness of the room. He wasn’t aroused, not quite but if the shock of just who it was he had been kissing hadn’t smacked him across the head he would have been. Nick was like his high school wet dream of the untouchable object of fantasy, the boy Epi had never even dared imagine kissing. The reality wasn’t disappointing. Nick, it turned out, was a very good kisser with just the right amount of aggressiveness and a hint of surrender. More than the kiss, it had felt shockingly good to be touched by someone not a medical professional and not in a helpfully casual way. It left him wondering about those strong hands on the small of his back or curled around his waist. So good, in fact, that if situations had been different, Epi would have been seriously tempted to indulge in a casual romp. It was that thought that reminded him of just what situation he was in. Nick wasn’t the sort of man to actually be attracted to Epi even on at Epi’s best and he certainly wasn’t going to be attracted to Epi as he was. Every broken bone, every scar, every wound was a physical reminder of what a freak he’d become and a sharp reminder that the odds were strongly against anyone ever really wanting him again. That meant that Nick had kissed him out of pity or sympathy. No matter how far down he may have sunk, Epi wasn’t to the point where he’d accept a pity kiss or attention because someone felt sorry for him. That made his face flush not from desire but embarrassment and humiliation and than from anger. Part of him wanted to sulk away and accept that he’d found himself in such a state that he’d be grateful for such a kiss even if it was rooted in pity but the larger part refused to retreat. He’d never had accepted that before and he wasn’t going to accept it now. It was fully dark outside and getting much colder but the light by the garage was on and he could see clearly enough. Nick wasn’t hovering by the car any longer, instead the lights of his apartment were on. The steps up to the small landing were steep and instead of trying to manage them Epi scooped up a few small pebbles. He could toss them up and get Nick’s attention, it always worked in movies, and he’d be safe from those steps. The first one he threw didn’t even make it to the landing. “God, I throw like a girl.” Epi muttered and tossed the next one harder. It bounced off the railing and came flying back at him. The third one somehow didn’t even make it to the landing and yet managed to ricochet back to hit Nick’s car. “Damn it!” There was nothing to do but go up there or go back inside. He wasn’t going to go back into the house, not without telling Nick off and he made his way carefully up the first few steps. His wrist hurt, it hurt awfully and that made him a little unstable but Epi had been practicing and it paid off now. He made it to the top without trouble and heavily knocked on Nick’s door. The door swung open and Nick stood in the opening, in flannel plaid pants and a white cotton t-shirt with bare feet. For a second Epi forgot to be angry as his mind whispered that Nick was changed for bed and looked fine. It left him standing there, wide eyed and silent.
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