Stay

Rating: R
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Nathan/Charles
Warnings: Supernatural undertones, friends behaving badly.
Summary: Nathan tells Charles how he feels
Notes: For tod_hollykim as part of the all-request week marathon, because I accidentally passed over her request. And it’s not like I need a lot of urging to write Nathan/Charles! Tip of the hat to hallo_katzchen, whose LJ icon inspired a certain scene.

Charles Foster Offdensen opened the door to Nathan’s bedroom, stormed in, mouth opened, fully prepared to verbally rend flesh, and was suddenly tackled from behind. He was shoved face-first onto the bed by roughly three hundred pounds of rock-god, and there he lay, pinned, brown eyes narrowed, one foot tapping in vexation. Nathan held him down, gently but firmly. He lowered his head and growled into his ear; “Who’s your Overlord?”

“Nathan, I am not in the mood for this.”

The voice sweetened. “Come on, say it. Who’s your Overlord?”

“The IRS. Can you please get off me? And… are you drunk again?”

“No. Not again.”

“So… still.”

“Yeah.”

Charles lay face down on the bed, eyes narrowed in irritation. He could easily extract himself from the situation if he so desired, but killing Nathan was hardly beneficial to the band. He spat out a feather that had worked its way into his mouth from the down comforter.

“Well that’s just great. I came in here to ask why you… what are you doing?”

Nathan was softly nuzzling the back of Charles’ neck and, as per usual, did not seem to have heard what had been said.

“Huh. You even smell classy.”

“Thank you. I think. Are you, uh… planning on letting me up, hmm?”

“In a minute.”

Charles lay on his face and endured a slow thorough sniffing. He briefly flashed back to when he was three and his grandmother’s Newfoundland dog would do something similar; pin him to the ground and sniff him. Fortunately the beast currently holding him down didn’t drool quite as much. Nathan made a quiet sound of approval.

“Definitely classy.”

“I’m not sure I like where this is heading. Look, I came in here to find out which one of you boys… uh… Nathan? You’re… being more intrusive than is usual.”

Nathan used his teeth to slowly and gently pull off the red silk tie, lowering his head once more to nibble Charles’ neck. He slipped off the grey suit jacket and tossed it aside, then turned him over. Charles stared up into the intense green eyes, Nathan’s naturally predatory expression giving him the appearance of wanting to eat him. But there was something not right about the look in his eyes. Charles began feeling a bit worried.

“Uh… Nate? What are you thinking?”

“D’you have any idea how fucking cute you are?”

“Nathan, the only person who calls me ‘cute’ is my mother.”

“I think you’re cute.”

“Well I think you’re drunk.” Charles gazed into the green eyes, once for feeling that sense of unease. He had seen Nathan drunk many times, and high, and…this really didn’t look like either of those. A small cold serpent of fear began to squirm inside of him.

“Yeah… well… maybe a little,” said Nathan. “Um… I like you, y’know. A lot.”

Charles sighed. “Nathan, you’re drunk.”

“I know! But… well… I still like you. It’s just… uh… if I tell you how I feel when I’m drunk, and… you laugh in my face, then… I won’t remember later.”

Charles blinked in surprise. “That’s… a shockingly logical piece of reasoning.”

Nathan looked pleased. “So do you like me?”

“Of course I like you.”

Nathan lowered his head and began softly nibbling Charles’ white neck. “How much?”

“I like you a great deal but… I think we like each other in very different ways.”

Worry began setting in as Charles felt Nathan begin softly kissing his throat. He pressed his hands against Nathan’s broad shoulder and pushed, to no avail. It was like trying to shove aside a sack of wet concrete. Nathan was not as physically fit as he had been back in the days when he played high school football, but he was still a very large man. Trying to make him move when he didn’t want to was like trying to talk a mountain into getting out of your way. Fat chance.

“Nathan…” Charles shoved with all his might, both hands against Nathan’s collar bone. He may as well have been holding back the sea. “Nathan now I’m getting annoyed.”

Nathan kissed him, very softly, very gently. “Just relax,” he said quietly. “Just for a minute. I won’t hurt you.”

Charles shoved all the harder. “Have you ever heard the word ‘no’?”

“Uhhh…. no?”

“I suppose I had that coming. Nathan I don’t know what, if indeed anything, is going through your mind, but I think I have made myself quite clear on the matter.”

Nathan touched his nose to the smaller man’s. “Look I don’t want to hurt you or make you do anything you don’t want to, I just…”

“Then let me up!”

“I just wanted to let you know I felt this way. That’s all. I… I’m not going to rip your clothes off and force myself on you. I mean I’d like to but… I’m not. Okay?” Nathan gazed down into irate brown eyes and smiled. “You’re even cute when you’re pissed.”

“You are crushing every piece of anatomy in the pelvic region that I have.”

Nathan blinked at him uncomprehendingly. Charles translated. “You’re squishing my guts.”

“Sorry.”

Charles waited for Nathan to move. He didn’t.

“Well? Are you getting off?”

“No, see… it usually takes more for me than just… y’know… sitting on a guy, but… well I can try it this way.”

“Oh I did not need to hear that!” He squiggled beneath the massive form, attempting to push him off, finally giving up. Charles stared irritably at his grinning captor, hair and glasses askew.

“Nathan?”

“Yeah?”

“Move.”

“Not until you answer my question.”

“What is the question?”

“Do you like me?”

Charles sighed. “Well I hadn’t put much thought into it.”

“But… do you think… maybe… you could?”

This was all just too much like high school; grade eight to be exact. This sort of thing used to happen to him a lot, but the bruiser holding him down never wanted to know if he liked him.

“Nathan, do you really think the best way to get someone to like you is to sit on him and demand an answer?”

“Well Murderface thought I should also threaten you with a loogie but…”

“Oh well that’s just great. Why don’t you dunk my head in the toilet while we’re at it?”

“No, because if I drop you then… well… looks bad if our own lawyer wants to sue us.”

“Nathan I’m going to say this just once. Get. Off.”

Nathan looked down at Charles, his green eyes by now glazed and distant, and Nathan himself seemed lost miles away in his own body. Charles had experienced many feelings connected with his ‘boys’, such as anger, annoyance, irritation, frustration, aggravation, and something that could ONLY be described as “D’OH!” But never fear. He had never been afraid of them. Not like this.

Charles was not oblivious to the fact that his boys took drugs. But they had always steered clear of what Pickles called “death shit”, referring to the ones where addiction was a certainty, along with dementia, tooth rot and death. Charles knew their dealers, he knew where the drugs came from, and he made certain that the people selling it to Dethklok had no delusions that if ANYTHING they gave to the band resulted in harm then their corpses would never be found. But much as Charles would like to keep the boys in a plastic bubble, they still had exposure to outside forces. Friends came to visit, fans mailed them things, they picked things up at clubs… he simply could not protect them every minute of the day. And Charles had a feeling that Nathan had taken something not normally found on their drug menu.

Nathan looked down at Charles. His eyes by now had taken on a strange expression, and his pupils were enormous. Charles stared into the black pits, having an eerie sensation that Nathan was far away, lost in deep waters somewhere within his own body. This wasn’t his happy-go-lucky laid back Nathan. He didn’t know who this was, or what he was capable of. Charles watched the light go out of Nathan’s eyes, and became very, very afraid. He had come here to discuss why Dethklok had turned down an invitation to play at a prestigious event in England. Now he was stuck on his back with a stranger sitting on him.

“Nathan?” he said quietly. “Are you in there?”

Nathan shook his head, looking puzzled. He glanced around the room, as if uncertain where he was, then lowered his head and gently nuzzled at Charles. Uncertain of what to do, Charles raised a hand and carefully tried to deflect him. Nathan encountered the hand, paused, then proceeded to lick it. Charles yanked it away and wiped it off, then sighed as Nathan took the opportunity to begin exploring his neck. He once more began trying to push Nathan off.

“C’mon Nate. Stop it, please, you’re frightening me.”

“It’s okay Charles,” said Nathan as he nibbled his collar. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

Now that was truly disturbing. Charles felt his throat tighten in fear.

“Won’t let who hurt me, Nathan?”

Nathan drew back, and suddenly Charles found himself staring into a pair of red, soulless eyes, blazing with hellfire.

“Me,” it growled.

Charles hadn’t screamed since he was eight, but he screamed now, thrashing madly, all his combat training gone and forgotten as he suddenly found himself dealing with something straight out of a horror movie. He fought like a wild animal, but eventually realized he was not being hurt, only held. Slowly his struggles ceased, and when he opened his eyes, he saw only Nathan, rather drunk, very stoned, his vacant green eyes looking at nothing in particular.

“I won’t hurt you,” said Nathan. “I wouldn’t ever hurt you.”

Charles was shaking. He could hear the hysterical hitching in his breath as he spoke.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know. It lives in me. It tries to make me do things, but… I don’t listen to it. I think it’s the reason… like… all this stuff happens around us. But… you don’t have to worry about him.”

Charles was completely wrung out, and his patience had at last failed. “Just get the fuck off me.”

“Okay,” said Nathan quietly. “I’ll go.”

Charles gave him a confused look. “Wait… why are you going? This is your room.”

“Well… I have to go, because… if I don’t, then you’ll go, and… I want you to stay.”

Charles felt some of the anger and upset fade. He reached up to pat one broad shoulder.

“Nathan we really should be discussing this when you’re sober.”

“I know.” He hung his head, looking like the world’s biggest five-year-old. He then peered at Charles from beneath black tendrils of hair. “Stay? Pleeeaaassseee?”

“How old are you?”

“You mean in dog years?”

Charles sighed. “You’re completely gooned, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. But… I want you to stay.”

“And what about that… thing?”

“He can’t do anything,” said Nathan dismissively.

“But what is he?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know at all. He’s just always been there. Like I said he tries to make me do stuff, but… I don’t listen.”

Charles felt a large hand slip over his ribs. “Strangely enough I know just how he feels.”

“Sorry. But… you’re really cute.”

“Thank you. If I stay you’re going to do your level best to get into my pants, aren’t you?”

“Well yeah. But… you don’t have to let me.”

Charles growled as he once more found himself warding off hands. “And what about the invitation to do a private performance for the royal families of three nations at Buckingham Palace? Care to tell me why you boys said no?”

“Well… um… Murderface sorta… thinks it’s all a plot to get him back for the way he acted at his birthday party. Y’know, the… matter of that prince he gave a skull fracture to.”

“Well that’s just great. That’s… fucking wonderful.” Charles felt his blood pressure soar. “Can SOMEBODY on this planet please explain to me WHY in the name of all things DO I PUT UP WITH YOU PEOPLE?!”

Nathan seemed to become smaller, looking at him with vacant eyes that registered a tiny amount of worry.

“Because we love you?”

Charles stared at him with open annoyance. “Get off me.”

“Nope. You’re going to spend the night with me.”

“And why would I do that?”

“I dunno.” Nathan slowly and gently ran a hand down Charles’ side, fingers creeping beneath his shirt to explore the well-toned body beneath. “Because… I’d really like you to, and… I’m asking nicely, and… if you really want to go I’ll let you.”

“But… you’d rather I stay.”

“Yeah.” Nathan nudged the shirt up, then lowered his head to kiss the exposed flesh. “I’d rather you stay.”

Charles watched Nathan open his shirt, unable to hide the way he responded to the feel of Nathan’s lips closing over one nipple.

“Oh what the heck. It won’t be the first time you’ve been a pain in the ass.”

“Well then you get on top.”

Charles considered that, one eyebrow creeping up, a little smile touching his lips.

“Mr. Explosion, you have a deal.”