NAK Drabbles [Ghost Adventures] ✔

2. King's Tavern Scare [cuddling somewhere]

PROMPT: cuddling somewhere
RATING: general
WARNINGS: none apply

SUMMARY: Nick becomes oppressed. Zak becomes overprotective.

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King's Tavern was a notoriously haunted building, but Zak wanted to climb that mountain. Test his limits and test his fears. And there was a very small amount of locations that made Zak consider packing everybody up and going up, and King's Tavern was turning into one of those locations really fast.

Nick was the most affected by whatever was within this building and Zak hated what it was doing to his beloved. Those dark eyes, unstaring and patient, watching Zak as he came closer and closer. That body rigid and, yet, was waiting to pounce at any moment. Then, he just disappeared and Zak practically speed-walked everywhere in the location trying to finding him. And it was pitch black, so all he had was the small green screen on his camera. In any other situation, Zak would have patted himself on the back for being able to practically run through the dark and not see shit and not get hurt.

When Zak did find Nick, the older man did not waste any time in pulling him up the stairs from the basement and outside. Nick was still, just standing there, as Zak let him go quickly to grab a sage stick. He wasn't even blinking and, as Jay and Billy watched from their perches at Nerve Center only a few feet away from the other man, it was completely unnerving.

Zak sighed as he caught his breath and tried to calm his racing heart. Quickly, he pulled a lighter from Nick's bag of goodies (or as Nick called it "my fun sack" and then gave Zak his funny look when he thought he was hilarious). He lit the bundle of sage quickly and rolled it over Nick's body; mentally, Zak pushed his energy through his arm and through the sage stick and imaged it burning into smoke, letting it settle on Nick's body and whisking the bad energy away.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Nick blinked slowly and licked his lips. A loud sigh came from him and Nick focused on the older man before him.

"Zak...," Nick's voice was small and low, like a child.

The older man nodded, "It's okay, Nick. You're safe."

Zak outlined Nick's chest before making a circular motion over his head.

"Zak...," Nick sighed and shut his eyes, breathing in the smoke.

"How do you feel?" Zak asked carefully, watching the other man.

Brown eyes opened, connecting with blue, and a smile spread across Nick's face, slow and careful, but it wasn't the wide smile that Zak had come to love.

"Better," Nick answered in confusion, "I don't know-."

Zak shook his head, "It's okay. You don't have to explain. You're out of there. That's what counts."

Nick nodded.

With a cock of his head, Zak added, "Come sit down at Nerve. Rest. You're done for tonight."

Unlike Nick, he didn't argue, but Zak knew that he only did that when he knew himself that he was done. It made Zak go in more to his Overprotective Boyfriend Mode™ more at Nick's words. So, Zak grabbed Nick's arm and pulled him into Nerve, practically shoving him down into the empty chair beside Jay.

Billy looked at Nick for a moment before turning his gaze to Zak, who stared at him intently. The older man held the burning stick of sage out to Billy, "Do you have something to hold this in? I don't want to smudge it out quite yet till I know Nick's okay."

Billy nodded and stood up, making his way to the cooler in the corner of the tent space they made for Nerve Center. As Billy looked, Zak turned to Jay, who was staring at the large TV screen, watching as Aaron tripped over a piece of furniture and cursed loudly across the audio speakers.

"Hey, Jay?"

"Yeah?" he looked back at Zak.

"Can you and Billy, when he is done, go into the basement and do an EVP session, maybe some EMF, and test out Gary's new toy?"

"Sure, man!" Jay smiled brightly, loving when he had the chance to get out of Nerve Center and do some investigation, especially if involved some alone time in the dark with Billy.

Zak smiled in thanks and, a few seconds later, Billy came back with a plastic bowl. The older man placed the burning sage stick into it before taking the bowl from Billy and putting it on the table before Nick in front of the TV. Zak stayed standing behind Jay's old seat as Billy and Jay grabbed their gear and exited the tent. When Zak heard the door close, he sat down in Jay's chair.

His arms reached out for Nick and the younger man, without any words, stood up and sat down on Zak's lap. The older man wrapped his arms around Nick's waist, as the younger man laid his arm across Zak's shoulders and his fingers ran through the gelled hair, which was coming undone with Nick's focus on it. A nose nuzzled into Nick's neck and fingertips ran over his hip bone.

"I'm okay," Nick whispers gently, closing his eyes, as he leans his head into Zak's.

"I know," Zak replies, tightening his hold on Nick's form on his lap.

The move makes Nick smile softly and he sighs, nuzzling his nose into Zak's hair, "I'll always be here with you, Zak. I'm never going to leave you."

"I know," Zak replies again, but his voice is strained.

He runs his fingers through Zak's hair again and places a gentle kiss to the side of his head. Nick can feel the pounding of Zak's heart in his chest vibrating across Nick's own, like it's his own heartbeat he is feeling. Sage smoke wraps around them like a warm blanket and Nick can already feel the negativity leaving his system with each passing second.

"I love you," Nick murmurs.

A kiss is pressed to Nick's neck, "I love you."