Chased Amy
Copyright April 6-May 31, 2001 by Matthew Haldeman-Time
Rating: PG
Pairing: Drew Lachey/Nick Lachey
Disclaimer: The young men who comprise 98 Degrees are their own people. The author has not met anyone here described, nor does the author mean to suggest that these people act this way in real life. This writing is a work of fiction. I make no money from this venture.
Dedication: This slashfic is for Ewan McGregor and the Savage Garden slashwriters.
Wherein if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...
Notice: No sex. Look, if you're into that sort of thing, go here.
"Yeah?" Jeff asked. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," everyone said.
"Well, you can't sing."
"I can't sing?" Drew asked. "I can't sing?"
"You can't sing," Jeff agreed.
"Nick."
"What?"
"Hit him."
Nick reached over and punched Jeff.
"Hey!" Jeff exclaimed, and hit Nick.
"Don't hit him," Drew said, and punched Jeff.
Jeff smacked Drew, and Nick smacked Jeff, and Justin said, "The next person who hits somebody is out of the band."
"I hit Jeff because he hit Drew."
"I hit Drew because Drew hit me."
"I hit Jeff because he hit Nick."
"I hit Nick because Nick hit me."
"I hit Jeff because Drew told me to."
"You don't have to listen to everything he says," Jeff told Nick.
"Yes, he does," Drew said.
"Yes, I do," Nick said.
"What's happened to you two?" Jeff asked. "For weeks now there's been this constant show of brotherly solidarity."
"Nick's making up for all the times he was such a jerk to me," Drew said.
"I was never a jerk to you," Nick said.
"Where were you?" Drew asked. "You've been harassing me since I was born."
"I have not."
"You have so."
"Have not."
"Have so."
"Not."
"So."
"Not."
"So."
"Not not not."
"So so so."
Nick made a face.
Drew made a face.
Nick stuck out his tongue.
Drew stuck out his tongue.
Nick stuck his thumbs in his ears and wiggled his fingers at Drew.
Drew stuck his thumbs in his ears and wiggled his fingers at Nick.
Nick thumbed his nose at Drew.
Drew thumbed his nose at Nick.
Nick put out one hand, palm facing Drew.
Drew put out one hand, palm almost, not quite, touching Nick's.
Nick put out his other hand.
Drew put out his other hand.
Nick leaned right, peering around the side of his hands.
Drew leaned left, peering around the side of his hands.
Nick squinted at Drew; Drew squinted at Nick.
Nick leaned left; Drew leaned right.
Nick squinted at Drew; Drew squinted at Nick.
Nick's right hand rose; Drew's left hand rose.
Nick's left hand slid left; Drew's right hand slid right.
Nick pretended to look up; Drew pretended to look up.
Nick crossed his eyes; Drew crossed his eyes.
Nick ducked; Drew ducked.
Nick jumped right; Drew jumped left.
Nick leaned in; Drew leaned in. Nose-to-nose, forehead-to-forehead, they eyeballed each other.
"Not not not!"
"So so so!"
Jeff made a fairly manly
shrieking sound and left. Justin laughed. Nick and Drew smacked
each other.
"What?"
Opening his mouth to respond, Justin stopped. Closed his mouth. "Nick?" He looked at the room number.
"What?"
"Drew?"
"What?!" Drew opened the door.
"If you're Drew-"
"Am I Drew?"
"You're Drew. What are you doing?"
"Looking for a nametag or something." Drew twisted, trying to see his own naked back.
"You're Drew. I'm sure of it."
"Okay."
"So why are you answering when I call for Nick?"
"He's in the shower."
"This is Nick's room, I don't see Nick, I hear the shower. That's my first guess, yes."
"Why are you making this difficult?"
"Why are you making this difficult?"
"I just asked you that."
"Go to your room."
"You're not my mother," Drew said.
"I'm older than you, I'm bigger than you-"
Drew jumped. Kept jumping.
"Now what?"
"I'm-" jump "-bigger-" jump "-than-" jump "-you."
"Every other second, when your feet don't touch the ground," Justin said. "Are you okay?"
Jump. "Why?" Jump.
Justin put his hands on Drew's shoulders to keep him still. "The immature, flighty one is Jeff. You're the sensible, responsible one."
Drew thought about that.
The water stopped. "Nick," Justin called.
"Nick," Drew called.
"Justin," Nick called. "Drew."
"Justin?" Drew asked.
"Drew?" Justin asked.
"Nick?" Nick asked.
"Mom?"
"Dad?"
"Jeff?"
"Oprah?"
"Mr. President?"
"Anybody?"
Nick came out of the bathroom in his underwear, hair damp. "Are you here to hassle Drew or for something else?"
"Drew's hassling me," Justin corrected.
"I am not," Drew said. "You're bigger and older than I am."
"Respect your elders," Nick said to Drew.
Drew smacked Nick's ass.
Nick pulled Drew back against his chest, forearm over Drew's throat. "You want something?" he asked Justin.
Drew tried to step back onto Nick's toes.
"I wanted to ask you..." Justin frowned.
Drew tried to squirm free.
"What?" Nick asked.
"Jeff was..."
Nick waited, ignoring Drew.
"We're going out tonight. You want to come?"
"Sure," Nick said.
Drew elbowed Nick in the stomach and wrenched free, whapped Nick's chest and shoulders a few times, then turned to Justin. "Am I invited?"
Nick hit Drew in the back of the head.
"Sure," Justin said.
Rubbing the back of his head,
scowling, Drew turned. "You'll pay for that."
"Drew!"
"Damn it!"
"Drew, are you okay?"
Worried, Jeff hurried down the hallway. He rounded the corner in time to see Nick taking Drew's hand.
"Stupid," Drew muttered.
"You all right?" Nick asked.
"Yeah," Drew said.
"You need-"
"No, I'm good," Drew said. "It's good."
Nick was still holding Drew's hand. Sometimes he looked down at it. Sometimes he looked into Drew eyes. No more words were exchanged.
Jeff left them alone.
"You want to go out tonight?"
"You?"
"I don't know."
Silence.
"Justin is."
"Yeah, Jeff said."
Silence.
"We should go with him."
"Yeah."
"Can't let him go by himself."
"Jeff's going."
"Oh."
Silence.
"I might stay in."
"Yeah?"
"I could use the rest."
"Yeah."
Silence.
"You could go, though."
"Maybe."
"Keep Jeff out of trouble."
"He never thanks me for it."
"Unless you're too tired."
"Yeah."
"You've been looking kind of tired."
"This wild and crazy life."
Silence.
"I don't know. It could be fun."
"I think I'll stay in. Get some rest."
"We could just hang out here."
"Yeah."
Silence.
"Laugh at what clothes they think will help them get laid."
"Watch TV."
"Eat something."
"Oh, yeah."
"You're always hungry."
Silence.
"Come by my room later?"
"Yeah. Sure."