On With The Show

10

Tommy and Vince returned a few hours later, putting the bags in a closet in Vince's apartment and heading over to Tommy and Nikki's place for a cup of coffee as Tommy had promised. It had been a good trip for them both - Vince got a job, too. As an Electrician. Tommy got one in a cafe. Neither were amazing ones, but they were good enough to pay for rent and food. Tommy was happy - he was away from Honey, saved from who knows how many other bad decisions, living with a friend and right next door to another one and able to play his drums again.

Yeah, he knew he didn't need too much to be happy. It's why he almost always was - the less you need for something, the more often you do it. That was his philosophy, and it seemed to be working fine so far. Vince was getting ready, taking a shower and things like that. Tommy didn't know why Vince bothered, he was going to get sweaty again anyway. He shrugged. To each his own, he thought as he opened his and Nikki's door.

He gasped.

Nikki was passed out on the floor, his cheeks stained with tears. By the looks of it, he'd been out for at least an hour. He lay uncomfortably, his breathing still ragged as he 'slept' on the floor, visibly uncomfortable. Tommy crouched down.He placed one hand on Nikki's shoulder, shaking him slightly.

"Sixx? Sixx!" He said, trying in vain to wake the older one. There was no use - Nikki lay there, just shaking a bit in his sleep. Tommy recognized the expression on Nikki's face as he slept - something had hurt Nikki. He grabbed one arm of his, wrapping it around his neck as he slipped his arm around Nikki's torso, half-carrying half-dragging Nikki to the bed as he helped Nikki lie down, taking off his shoes and pulling the curtain separating the sleeping area and the rest of the apartment. He sighed, softly stroking Nikki's hair as the older man slept, trying to give him some form of comfort. He leaned back, his back touching the headboard oh the bed as he stayed with Nikki, getting worried about his new friend as he slept. The scar on Nikki's arm was easily visible. Tommy glanced at it, trying not to stare at the gash that was nearly four or five inches long. He automatically thought of his own shoulder - but that was a single stab, maybe half a centimetre deep. Nikki's knife wound looked like it had been, based on the scar, at least twice as deep.

Tommy interlaced their fingers, moving his thumb over Nikki's knuckles. He felt some of the tension on Nikki's arm vanish as he did that, smiling to himself a bit. He lay down next to Nikki, turning onto his side so as to face Nikki's sleeping figure. He stroked Nikki's cheek slightly, resting his forehead against Nikki's. He felt Nikki physically relax, and wiped away a few tears that came down his face. He smiled a bit as he felt him relax and lose the tension, leaning back and looking at the ceiling.

Absent-mindedly, he stroked the back of Nikki's hand with his thumb, not expecting any response from Nikki, but grinning widely when he felt Nikki lightly squeeze back. Tommy wrapped his other arm around him, stroking Nikki's hair as he slept. He'd always been a physically affectionate person, and was happy to see that Nikki liked it - most people didn't. He smiled again as Nikki curled up against him, his breathing getting even again. Tommy'd only had a few friends that liked hugs as much as he did (if, of course, his sister counted as a friend. Then the only other one was Vince. Nobody else seemed to enjoy it, and energetic as he was, Tommy respected people's boundaries. Or at least tried to. Even Honey hated that part of his personality - she had no problem turning a hug session into se.x. It was okay, but Tommy had started missing simple, soft hugs a while back).

*

"Hey, Sixx," Tommy said, smiling at him.

Nikki was disoriented again, looking around and trying to figure out where he was. Didn't he fall asleep on the floor next to the door?

"You looked really uncomfortable on the floor, so I moved you here. Hope that's fine, dude."

Nikki just looked at Tommy for a bit. "Yeah, that's fine. Thanks, Tommy."

"Also I'm so happy you like hugs! Most guys don't. When I moved you here, you felt really tense and shit, so I just stayed and you relaxed so much once I hugged you! Most of the people I know don't like that, but you hugged back! In your sleep!" Tommy was excited, blabbering on the way he did.

"I- huh," Nikki said,turning his face towards the mattress as Tommy said that. It was only a matter of time till Tommy figured out... "Yeah, dude. I like hugs, but only with people I'm comfortable with. You made the cut surprisingly fast."

Tommy seemed to buy it, pulling Nikki into another hug. Nikki was on the verge of tears once more - this time from relief as he hugged Tommy back. He buried his face in Tommy's shirt, like Tommy had done last night on the roof. He let his hair cover his face, smiling as Tommy brushed it out, and feeling himself grow genuinely happy in a way that only Tommy managed to make him.

"Best friend goals," he heard someone say, snapping his head back to see who it was.

"Hey, Vince," Tommy said, still holding Nikki in his arms. Oddly enough, Nikki didn't feel that bitter jealousy he had felt before - he was the one holding Tommy right now. Not Vince.

"I got coffee," Vince said, holding up a pot of what smelt like espresso. Nikki forced a smile - he liked Vince. He really did. But he always just had to be better with Tommy than Nikki was, didn't he? He bit the inside of his lip.

"Coffee sounds great," he said.

Vince grinned. "Great, there's enough for each of us to have two cups in this pot. Put the powder and stuff in before my shower, made a little more than I probably should have, but who can say no to coffee?"

Nikki laughed. He had a point - He didn't mind this guy too much. Just when he was with Tommy.

"Awesome! Did you get a cup for yourself, though? Nikki only has two mugs," Tommy said, "Just use the one you bought today - You know what? You use the cat one, I'll use that - don't want to keep Vince Neil waiting on his coffee, he turns into some sort of swamp monster!" Tommy laughed, getting up.

Nikki held back a sigh as Tommy left, looking over at Vince rinsing out the cups.

"You know if there's something you want to say, you can tell Tommy, right? He doesn't judge - no matter how much you think he would. And he doesn't tell anyone unless you tell him he can."

"It's not that simple..." Nikki trailed off.

"Easier said than done, trust me I know. But there's exactly one person from everyone I knew before I let the cat out of the bag - don't get offended, you're a cool enough guy, I just don't know you well enough to tell you this shit - that treated me the same. Hell, the only one who still treated me like a person."

Nikki frowned, looking at Vince. "I'm not going to ask shit, you clearly aren't in the mood to talk about it. But all I'm saying is that I can't tell Tommy. It's about Tommy."

Vince just nodded, giving Nikki a cup of coffee seconds before Tommy returned with the bright green mug he'd bought for Vince.

"What'd I miss?"

"Vince and I were just talking," Nikki said, internally smiling as Tommy sat right next to him again. Vince didn't look like he minded, which was a shame as that meant Nikki was the only jealous bastard there, but it was what it was, he supposed. He smiled, feeling the genuinely-happy feeling return as Tommy let him lean on his shoulder.

Right now, Nikki was happy.