Nick lowered himself onto the sleeping bags Tom had messily laid out for them. "Well, at least he tried," Nick thought. It was strange being on the road with this man, someone older than him, yet he relied upon Nick so much. Tom's nose wrinkled in his sleep, as if smelling something foul and putrid. It seemed odd to Nick that they got along so well together - each with their own disabilities to cope with; one just needed the other to be there for him.

Tom's lips, facing the sky, were slightly chapped, and Nick had the urge to moisten them. He thought about the being beside him, so helpless -- almost a child -- in a way that hadn't seemed possible at their first meeting. After a moment's hesitation, Nick laid fully down next to Tom and slipped his hand through Tom's extended arm. Tom's clear eyes fluttered open. He carefully inspected the situation, then announced with satisfaction: "Tom Cullen is glad he came with Nick Andros."

Nick smiled, having read the words on Tom's lips, and once again his heart ached for the ability to express himself. Maybe Tom wasn't as gone in the head as Nick had thought. Finally the dark haired deafmute settled for slowly pointing at his eye, then his chest, then Tom. A beam of delight spread across Tom's upturned face, and he suddenly thrust his head upward, kissing Nick in an awkward but sensual way. Then Tom shrank back, blushing deepling. "Daddy always said men kissing men was bad, but he's gone now." Giggling silently, Nick pressed his lips to Tom's, allowing his tongue to slip into the other man's mouth briefly before pulling away. He slide his right hand along Tom's bare thigh, and settled his forearm in the hollow of Tom's back.

"Goodnight?" Tom whispered, in an interrogative tone unheard by Nick but recognized in his eyes. Nick nodded and gently kissed his nose. Goodnight, adorable one, Nick thought.

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