theoldguardkinkmeme | Fills Post

~~~

And that is how the rest of the week goes. Joe squirrels himself away in his studio in the morning, working diligently throughout the day, and emerges at night. Nicky cooks him dinner, eats with him, and retreats back into his room politely, possibly to pray(? Joe doesn’t really know what a priest does at night for entertainment. He figures they pray). They don’t see each other much, even though they occupy the same space.

It’s just, Nicky is so quiet. Joe half wonders if he’s some kind of ninja-priest hybrid. During the day he never hears a peep from the other man, and sometimes he looks up from being engrossed in a piece of art and finds a plate of food and a glass of water sitting innocently next to him when he’s forgotten to eat lunch. How Nicky walks into his studio and leaves him a meal without Joe noticing is beyond him.

But having Nicky being such a quiet presence has Joe a little on edge in his own home. It’s not like the man hovers at all, but he’s there, and even though he’s not scary or weird by any means, he’s just so damn quiet. Too quiet. It makes Joe tiptoe around, scared to make too much noise in his own damn home, lest he disturb the church-like silence.

So by Saturday night, he’s itching to get out of the house. He lets Nicky know he won’t be needing dinner, gets a small, quiet nod in response, and flees out his front door. He hasn’t seen his friends at their local haunt in a little while—it’s time they all catch up.

~~~

Even though Joe had said he didn’t need dinner tonight, Nicky still pulls out the ingredients to make dinner for two. If Joe comes back hungry, Nicky wants to make sure that there’s something in the fridge for him to eat. He fights the disappointment that they won’t be sharing a meal together, the bright spot of Nicky’s day, but it makes sense. Joe surely has friends to see and things to do; he can’t spend all his free time with Nicky.

Humming, he finely dices onion and crushes garlic under the side of his knife. The house around him is quiet, and dark, and Nicky tries not to feel too lonely. Joe will be back at some point. The house just feels empty and colder without the other man’s presence.

It’s been nice, the past week. They haven’t spent much time together, but Nicky knows that Joe is busy, and that his art is far more important than Nicky, whose very presence in his home is a mistake. Nicky had hoped that they would know each other better by now, but he tells himself to be grateful for what he has. Joe’s lovely, and welcoming, and very generous in sharing his home, and Nicky shouldn’t expect anything more, really. You can’t rush friendship, he tells himself. You can’t just make someone else like you, no matter how much you long for it.

He slicks the pan with olive oil and adds the onions, chopping up more vegetables as they fry. He tries to ignore the doubt curling in his stomach, the thoughts in his head that quietly whisper he doesn’t want to be your friend. Joe had said that he’d wanted them to be friends, and Nicky believes him. You wouldn’t blame him if he changed his mind though, that voice whispers, and Nicky bites his lip. He wouldn’t blame Joe, not at all. Nicky understands that he isn’t the easiest to get along with. The thought hurts, but he accepts it.

Onions fried, Nicky adds the garlic and then the vegetables. Really, he has no cause to complain. The time he and Joe spend together is nice; sharing dinners, Joe complimenting Nicky on his cooking, his kind words making Nicky’s stomach glow and curl happily like a cat in the sun. And he’s living here rent free; Joe refuses to take his money, saying that he doesn’t need it, he’s paid off his mortgage already. He tells himself he doesn’t need anything more. Just Joe’s presence is enough, he tells himself. Don’t want more. Don’t be selfish. Be grateful for what you have, because it’s probably more than what you deserve.

(He’s not lonely. He’s not.)

~~~

Joe may have drunk a bit too much. He’s not usually a drinker, but he’d needed the alcohol after the week he’d had. Nile had cautioned him to slow down, and even Booker had been shooting him looks, but Andy had just clapped him on the back and plonked another beer in front of him.

So as he walks up to his front door after emerging from his Uber, he fumbles with his keys, cursing as he drops them on his welcome mat. He straightens from scooping them up and slots them into the lock before belatedly remembering that his door isn’t locked—he has a house guest, now.

When he walks into the hallway it’s dark, but there’s a dim light glowing from the doorway to his living room. He swings into his kitchen first to grab a bottle of water, and spies a post-it note on his fridge. Dinner inside if you’re hungry, it reads in messy cursive. And sure enough, when he opens the fridge door, there’s a Tupperware sitting on one of the shelves. Stir fry, it looks like. Joe’s not hungry, he’d eaten some food at the bar, but the gesture is thoughtful. “Thanks, Nicky,” he murmurs.

He drains his bottle of water, dumps it in the trash, and then pokes his head around the doorframe to his living room. He immediately spots Nicky curled up on one of his armchairs, a book balanced precariously on his knees, his head tilted back. He breathes slowly and steadily—he’s asleep.

For a second Joe just considers leaving the man there, but his good consciousness takes over. With the alcohol in his system it’s easy to ignore the apprehension he feels in the other man’s presence. Nicky’s asleep, anyway, he’s not gonna know.

Carefully, as carefully as a drunk Joe can be, he slips Nicky’s book out from under his limp hands and sets it aside, glancing at the cover. Anne of Green Gables. Huh. He doesn’t own that book. He wonders where Nicky got it.

Too inebriated to linger on the thought, he grabs a blanket off the back of his couch and gently lays it over Nicky’s sleeping form. He pauses as he pulls away—the soft light coming from the lamp in the corner illuminates Nicky’s face, casting loving shadows over his strong nose and deep set eyes, the gentle downturn of his lips. Nicky’s expression, so hard to read during the day, is almost childlike in its openness during sleep. He looks sad.

Joe straightens, takes a step back, and sits down heavily on his couch. He suddenly, vividly, comes to the realisation that he has been a massive dick.

He’d said he’d wanted to be friends, and here he is, avoiding Nicky like the plague. The man has been nothing but nice, and as Joe looks around his living room, has been doing all the housework while Joe has been locked up in his studio. Everything is spotless. His yard is tidy, the grass freshly mowed, and he may have heard Nicky vacuuming the other day. The kitchen had been spotless too, none of his customary dirty dishes piling in the sink, his pantry and fridge fully stocked up. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t been to the grocery store for a while now, so Nicky must’ve done the shopping. He’s pretty sure Nicky doesn’t own a car, and he hasn’t asked Joe to borrow his, so he must’ve walked, or taken the bus.

Joe runs a hand down his face and over his beard. They’ve been living for a week together, but he has almost no idea who Nicky is other than the information that was in his profile, or what he does to entertain himself during the day when Joe is busy. He has no idea about Nicky’s likes or dislikes, his hobbies, his aspirations in life. He has no idea if Nicky’s been feeling lonely, if he’s missing Italy, or his family and friends and church. He doesn’t know if Nicky likes it here, if he’s even settling in. Fuck, he feels like a grade a asshole. His mother would be so disappointed in him. He can basically see her face in his mind's eye right now, her finger wagging in the air as she scolds him. Just because things are awkward, Yusuf, does not mean you have an excuse to ignore a guest! None of this is that poor boy’s fault, so stop treating him like it is!

He gives himself a few moments of indulgent self flagellation, then stands back up. The room spins a little, and he goes very still, before his vision thankfully rights itself. He stares at Nicky for a second, feeling awfully guilty at that tiny frown on the other man’s face, and steps forward to pull the blanket closer around Nicky’s form. Nicky shifts as he does, murmuring something indistinct, and a lock of dark hair falls into his face, catches on his long lashes.

Later, Joe will blame the alcohol as he brushes it behind Nicky’s pierced ear, his fingers lingering on Nicky’s sleep-warm skin. But for now he just takes a step back and staggers off to his bedroom, determined to make amends in the morning.

Thank goodness Joe is realizing he's being a bit unreasonable, but it's also so relatable in modern fling culture. I love it.

thanks! honestly i was kind of worried that people will think i'm making joe a total dick, but he's just feeling super awkward and stuck his head in the sand and is now totally going to make it up to nicky :D i'm glad you understand! <3

(also wow you commented so fast i am amazed)

Oh no, I 100% get where Joe is coming from but also, you signed up for this bud, time to be a grown up.

Ahaha, I read fast.

Awwww, miscommunication FTW (sadly).

I'm really interested how Joe thinks Nicky matched with him because I doubt the system picks people that did not go through the same process he did to log on (not the word/phrase I'm looking for but can't find what I mean) and if this is set in our world, Catholic priests are not allowed to marry and would not be in need of a marriage.

Same anon as above. Still pre-coffee. Dead brain here. Not everyone knows the Catholic rules (duh at myself). Too many years stuck in Catholic school. SORRY!

I’m so glad you’re back!
At last Joe is starting to pull his head out of his ass, poor Nicky just needs a hug and for Joe to realise how truly amazing he is

thank you so much for the fantastic update, nonnie! I'm glad that joe's finally realising that he's being bit of an asshole—though he did sign up for an instant!marriage website so what else what he expecting?? 🤣 also i love me some good good nicky whump, and ooof the fact that he seems even sadder when he's asleep makes me want to give him a huge hug. i hope you go into exploring why his self-esteem is the way it is (i think maybe internalised homophobia + catholicism = leaving behind everything he knows + abject loneliness?). i can't wait for them to get to know each other more and realise that they're perfect for each other! eagerly awaiting for the next instalment by refreshing this page like a crazy person lmaooo

Omg update! THANK YOU SO MUCH...SO GOOD 😭😭😭😭

Oh gosh an update!!! I love this story so much, Nicky is so sweet and I hope that things start to go better for him soon 🥰

Omgsh I’m so so happy you updated!!! This made my week 😘 I absolutely love the characterisation and the way the story is progressing. It feels so organic and I just want to give them both a hug (and smush them together but I can’t wait haha). You are fabulous, I can’t wait to read more and will be obsessively refreshing the page every chance
I get. Thank you!!!

This is heartbreaking but so beautiful! I can't wait to read what Joe's going to do next, and I love the way you write Nicky.

Ok this is seriously top quality. Poor poor poor Nicky, somebody hugs him already! Possibly Joe, who was actually a dick going out with friends and leaving Nicky alone, so somebody kick his sexy ass since we're at it😁 Well I've got to say the situation is super awkward on both sides, they have my simpathy, and I totally understand the need to hide. I also live for the moment when Joe will come to his senses again, which is already sort of happening, so thank you for the amazing story 💕

Nicky is a sad little goose and I’m here for it. I like he still tries to be a good spouse, I mean friend, even after joe so blatantly rejected him. This boy has issues! And heeeeey, Joe recognises that hes been treating Nicky poorly. That’s a step in the right direction, even tho I hope there’s still a lot of steps left, cos I live for the angst.

Seeing an update made a bad day so much better ☺️ Can’t wait to read more

Nicky doing all of the cooking!!

also yayyyy Joe realizing he's being a jerk. I'm glad that part of the miscommunication is over. Looking forward to seeing how he makes it up to Nicky. :) (and falls in love along the way?!)

Oh Nicky! Oh Joe! They are so far apart!

(okay so this might end up quite long... whoops)

~~~

The headache, Joe expects. The sunshine glaring right into his face, he does not. Grumbling, he lifts his head up from his pillow and sees that in his drunkenness he hadn’t closed his curtains last night. Rookie move, he tells himself, and gingerly rolls out of bed. He’s awake now; there’s no going back to sleep.

After a shower and brushing his teeth, Joe feels more like the human he’s meant to be. He rolls out into his kitchen in sweatpants and an old shirt, and pauses in the doorframe when he sees Nicky sitting at his kitchen table.

“Good morning,” Nicky greets, his lips gently curved in a small smile. He looks unfairly put together, and Joe just grumbles at him. “I made a pot of coffee,” the other man continues, seemingly not put out by Joe’s hungover morning grouchiness. “And if you’re hungry I can make an omelette, if you’d like.”

Joe heads for the counter where his coffee filter is sitting, pours himself a mug, gulps it down, fills another mug and this time only sips at it. He leans back against the counter and holds the mug to his chest, forcing himself to meet Nicky’s blue-grey eyes.

“Sorry, I’m not much of a morning person.”

Nicky’s grin widens just a little, but he hides it behind his coffee mug.

Joe makes a face, sighs, and puts his coffee to the side. He straightens up from his lean, crosses his arms, and then uncrosses them forcefully. “I owe you another apology,” he starts, eyes dropping down to the floor, “I’ve kind of been a dick to you.”

Nicky makes a confused noise, but Joe keeps going. “No, I mean, I have been being a dick to you. I said that this didn’t have to be awkward and we could be friends and then I just—avoided you. And I’m really sorry.” He rubs his fingers against his temples.

Nicky’s quiet, and Joe finally gains the courage to look him in the face. Nicky looks—he looks confused. “You don’t need to apologize,” he finally says, “I know that you are busy with your art. I understand.”

Joe frowns. “Hey, man, no need to let me off the hook so easy. You’ve been cooking and cleaning, which, by the way, you have no obligation to do, and I’ve kind of been taking advantage of that.”

Nicky still looks like he doesn’t get the issue. “You haven’t been,” he says, “I wanted to.”

Joe kind of wants to shake him. Is this man for real? Does he really not harbour any ill will towards Joe for being an asshole and ignoring him this entire week? “Why? Why would you want to?”

Nicky is the one to drop his gaze now. He tucks his hair behind his ear, which is what Joe is starting to realise is his nervous gesture. “It’s the least I can do,” he says, “since you’re having to put up with me living here.”

Right. Okay. No. “Nicky. I’m not putting up with you. This entire situation is not your fault, it’s that damn algorithm’s and the fact we have to live together for a year before we can get our money back. You’re being the perfect house guest. You’re the one putting up with me.”

A small frown crosses Nicky’s face. “I’m not putting up with you at all. You’ve been nothing but nice to me.”

Either Nicky is playing an idiot, or he’s just that nice and isn’t offended that Joe has been a total dickwad. Had he really not minded that Joe had been ignoring him? “If you think that’s what someone being nice is, I would hate to know how your friends treat you,” Joe says without thinking.

And then Nicky’s ocean-spray eyes go wide for a second, and he drops his gaze down to his coffee, his lips downturned. He doesn’t say anything.

Joe drags a hand roughly over his face. This is not going well. Allah, give him strength to overcome his own dickishness. “Look. I just—I’m really sorry. I’ll understand if you want nothing to do with me. If you want, I’ll leave you alone. You don’t need to cook or clean or anything.”

Now Nicky looks up at him, his eyes wide with something else. “I want to,” he says again. “And I would like us to be friends. If you still want to be?” The tentatively hopeful tone in his voice makes something in Joe’s heart ache a little.

“Well, I probably don’t deserve it, but yes, friends would be great,” Joe says honestly.

Nicky’s smile is bright and genuine and lovely. It lights his entire face up, the entire room, and Joe cannot help but smile widely back.

~~~

Joe insists on being the one to make breakfast, even though Nicky had said that he was more than willing to cook. He spends the entire time Joe is at the stove fiddling with his coffee cup, both a little perplexed and pleased with the conversation that they’d just had.

It is nice to know that Joe is still wanting to be friends with him. The apology, however, had been unexpected. Nicky sees nothing wrong with Joe’s behaviour, but if the man feels like he needs to apologise, then Nicky will accept the apology if it made Joe feel better.

The omelettes end up overcooked, but Nicky eats his without complaint. It’s been a very long time since someone has cooked for him, and Nicky enjoys every bite, thinking that it’s the best meal he’s had in a while. Joe insists on doing the dishes as well, and even though Nicky protests, the man orders him to sit down and not move a finger.

“Hey, so, is there anything you’ve been wanting to do? Have you been out of the house much? I don’t really hear you around during the day,” Joe says as he stacks the clean dishes to the side of the sink.

Nicky blinks, fighting the urge to get up and dry the plates and pan. “I’ve taken a few walks,” he says, “the park down the road is lovely. There are ducklings in the lake.”

Joe huffs a laugh. He has a very nice laugh, warm, like his smile. Nicky’s stomach flips and he looks down at the dregs of his coffee.

“Yeah, the ducklings are cute. But, I mean, you came over from Italy, right? You don’t wanna see the sights, do some tourist stuff?”

Nicky thinks that would be nice, to see some of the country. But he doesn’t want to make Joe go out of his way to show him around. Instead, he asks, “is there a library near?”

Joe looks at him over his shoulder, expression surprised. Nicky hopes he hasn’t asked something weird.

“Yeah, there’s a library a ten minutes drive away.”

Nicky brightens at the prospect. He’d only been able to fit so many books in his suitcase and had given the rest away before he’d moved, and he’d already exhausted the supply over the past week. More books would be great.

“I haven’t been in a while, actually,” Joe muses as he finishes the last of the dishes. “I can tell you the way and you can borrow my car, but if you don’t mind I would like to tag along.”

“I would like that,” Nicky says, and Joe grins at him, which Nicky thinks is rather wonderful.

~~~

The local library is modestly sized, but modern. Joe lingers around while Nicky sorts out a membership and gets given a library card, and then lets Nicky know he’ll be in the art section. Immediately, he spies a book on contemporary art he’s been meaning to find on one of the new release shelves, and becomes engrossed in turning the pages. Then he moves on, to the poetry section, spying Nicky in between the shelves, looking rather happy with his armful of books already. He looks cute, actually, and Joe has to distract himself with a poetry anthology before the thought goes too far.

Half an hour later, he goes in search of the other man, wondering if Nicky’s done yet. He can’t find him anywhere, and Joe’s half wondering if Nicky has abandoned him, which, fair, until he walks past the children’s section and hears a familiar Italian lilt.

He rounds a bookshelf to find Nicky sitting in an armchair, surrounded by a horde of children. He has all of their attention as he reads from a book, holding it up to show them all the pictures with his left hand, his right arm holding a child securely on his lap. Joe spots a group of mothers to the side also looking rather engaged, but not with the story.

Fuck me, Joe thinks. That is not fair. How can a priest be this attractive? As he watches the little girl sitting in Nicky’s lap reaches up to tug at Nicky’s earring. Patiently, carefully, Nicky detaches her fingers from what must be a painful yank and taps her gently on the nose, smiling. Joe thinks he hears more than one wistful sigh from the mothers. He might let one out himself. He may have a weakness for guys who are good with kids.

He leans against the bookshelf and watches. Nicky does different voices for the different animals in the book, and the children are delighted. When he’s finished, there’s a smattering of applause from the mothers, and Nicky ducks his head, a shy blush on his cheeks. He spots Joe and blinks, surprised, before carefully lowering the little girl in his lap to the floor. He waves goodbye to the mothers, who all lament him leaving and tell him he should come again, and says goodbye to the kids, who whine and tell him not to leave, before heading over to Joe, gathering his own books up from the stack beside his chair. A librarian takes his place, picking up another picture book, but the kids already look less interested.

“Hey, no need to leave on my account,” Joe says, but Nicky shakes his head.

“If I read another story I will lose my voice,” Nicky says, and he sounds kind of sad about it.

Together they head for the self checkout for their books. “You’re really good with kids,” Joe says as he finds his library card in his wallet.

“I taught Sunday school at my church,” Nicky explains, “there was a lot of babysitting involved. But I didn’t mind. I love children.”

“Me too,” Joe says, “when I meet the right person I want at least three.”

“That would be a very busy household.”

Joe grins, finishing up scanning his books. Nicky’s only half done with his; he’s got a lot more than Joe. “I like chaos.”

“I would like children too,” Nicky says, sounding a little wistful.

“You’d make a great dad.”

Nicky smiles softly at him. “Thank you. I think, so would you.”

~~~

Joe shouts Nicky lunch. He picks his favourite Mexican place and refuses to take Nicky’s money when the man offers.

“You’re already letting me stay without paying rent,” Nicky protests, frowning as Joe hands over cash.

“Yeah, but I already told you, I don’t need the money, and besides, you did all my housework for the entire week. You even dusted,” Joe says, picking up their table number and ushering Nicky over into one of the corner booths. “I never dust.”

Nicky could tell that Joe never dusted, but he doesn’t say that, because that would be mean.

“Also, you bought the groceries, which I haven’t thanked you for yet. You really didn’t have to do that. I’ll pay you back, since you did the trip and cooked.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Nicky points out. “Shall we split it?” He concedes. He doesn’t think Joe is going to drop it.

“Fine, we can split it, but I’m coming with you next time.”

Nicky hides a smile behind his glass of water.

“Not to pry, or anything, but, uh, do you think you’re gonna get a job?” Joe asks. “Unless you’ve got money to cruise on. I have no idea how much money a priest makes.”

“I got a modest stipend from the church.” It wasn’t a lot, but it had been enough for Nicky to comfortably live on as a priest, and make some savings. However, now that he’s no longer with the church, his savings are dwindling. He has enough to live on for a few months, probably a lot more now that Joe isn’t letting him pay rent, but Nicky does want to get a job. He likes being busy. “I have enough savings to last for a while, but I think I would like a job anyway. I just don’t know what I want to do.” Nicky has spent the majority of his life devoted to the church, with little other thought to another career.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t have to be something you're super serious about, right? You’re only going to be stuck here for a year before you go back.”

The reminder that Nicky’s time is limited with Joe stabs a tiny needle into his chest, but he pushes the heartache aside. “That’s true,” he murmurs, fiddling with his napkin.

“Maybe you could find something to do at the Catholic church here?”

Nicky just shakes his head. He’s not sure he can step inside a church without crying at the moment. Leaving had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his life, along with the realisation that he’d devoted himself to something only so he could hide who he really was behind it. He’s still ashamed of his motivations, of being such a coward, of lying to his family and friends and to himself all these years. Just thinking of entering another church brings up intense feelings of shame and guilt. It will be a while, he thinks, before he can step into another church.

Thankfully, Joe doesn’t press. Their drinks come, and their food soon after. Their meal finished, Joe leans back in his chair, hand on his stomach. Nicky is similarly very full; Joe had ordered a lot of food, and he’d probably eaten a bit too much, but it had been very tasty.

“Is there anything else you wanna do today?” Joe asks.

Nicky shakes his head. He’s already taken up so much of Joe’s time.

Joe frowns. “You’re sure? You don’t wanna have a look around town? I can show you some of my favourite spots.”

“You do not have to get back to your art?” Nicky asks, tentatively.

“Nah,” Joe says, “I’ve spent enough time in my studio the past week. Come on, let’s go, I’ll show you all the weird statues we’ve got around here.”

~~~

Now that Joe has decided to stop being an asshole, he takes up his fair share of chores. He also tries to cook more, but Nicky ends up preparing most of their meals, just because of that fact he seems to enjoy it, and his food is vastly better than Joe’s. Joe, however, never lets him wash a single dish if he can help it. They share most meals together now, not just dinner, and at night they watch movies or play board games, and Nicky turns out to be a very good but rather aggressive chess player. Joe has only managed to win one out of the five games they have played so far, but to be honest, he’s not playing with all his attention. He finds the dip between Nicky’s eyebrows as he frowns and the way he gnaws at his plump bottom lip, staring down at the board as he contemplates his next move, unfairly distracting.

Joe no longer closes the door to his studio while he’s in there during the day, and extends an invitation for Nicky to come sit inside if he wants. Usually he hates people watching him paint and draw, but Nicky’s presence is quiet and calm, and he never disturbs Joe at all. Mostly he watches serenely, or curls up in the corner with a book, keeping Joe company. Joe actually finds he enjoys Nicky being with him—he never knew that he’d been kind of lonely in his own home.

And then, one morning, Joe gets a package in the mail. He sets it on the kitchen counter and opens the box with a knife, staring down at the mountains of heavily scented red rose petals. There’s a white card placed on top, written in gold foil cursive script. It reads simply: Two perfect rings, one perfect marriage.

Joe makes a face and digs his hand into the seriously ridiculous amount of petals, searching around. Nicky comes into the kitchen just as he lifts out a small dark blue velvet pouch, giving a small cry of triumph.

“Did you get a package?” Nicky asks curiously, coming up behind him.

“Our rings,” Joe says. He opens the velvet bag and upends it over his palm. Two rings tumble out, both simple polished metal and matching in design, a single groove bisecting each ring lengthwise. The only difference is that one is gold, and the other silver.

“Oh,” Nicky says quietly.

“We probably should send them back,” Joe says, ignoring the fact that somehow the website had picked out the perfect wedding rings for him. The only thing he’d entered into the website was his ring size, and not any preference on what ring he’d wanted. Joe would be more impressed if they hadn’t screwed up sending him a gorgeous Catholic priest for a husband. Sighing, he tips the rings back into the bag.

“I can do it,” Nicky offers, and Joe hands the velvet pouch over.

“Thanks. I was just gonna head out for a run.”

~~~

Nicky sits on his bed as he hears the front door close. He stares at the velvet pouch sitting innocuously in his hands, and then slowly tips out the rings.

They’re cool and heavy in his palm. Reverently he traces both rings with a finger, feeling the metals warm with his body heat. They’re perfect.

Biting his lip, he carefully slides the silver ring onto his ring finger. It fits snugly, not too tight, not too loose. His exact size. He holds his hand up to the morning sun coming through the window and stares at the glint of metal, chest tight. For a moment he lets himself imagine Joe greeting him at his front door with a smile and a kiss. But only for a moment, before the guilt sets in. Friends, he tells himself. That is more than enough.

He takes the ring off and slides it and it’s pair back into the velvet bag, placing it inside his bedside table drawer. Joe will never know if he doesn’t send them back.

AUGH FUCK THIS IS SO GOOD I WANNA DIE

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

(Anonymous) - 2020-09-25 12:34 (UTC) - Expand

Ah my heart! Nicky is so sad! This is so angsty I love it so much!

THE PINING; THE SHEER OBLIVIOUSNESS; THE WHUMP—IT'S ALL SO GOOD

Honestly long is not a bad thing from this or from you.

I am ready and scrabbling at my face this is sooooo good.

Cant wait until Joe works out Nicky isn't a priest anymore. And I hope Nicky gets to meet the others and have some friends. He's so lonely....

oh. ouch. Nicky! Keep them! You'll need them!

This fill is so good, legit got a serotinin boost seeing update and reading it.... the pining!!! 😭😭😭

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [2b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3a/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]

Re: FILL: All Hail The Algorithm, Joe/Nicky - modern arranged marriage [3b/?]