MtYG Fic
Just realized that I completely forgot to post this here.
Title: Bittersweet
Pairing: Howie/Nick
Rating: G
Summary: Howie reminisces on his relationship with Nick.
Author's Notes: Originally posted over at Make the Yuletide Gay for 2010. Written for Raven.
The first time he ever bit into a lime, Howie distinctly remembered, it was like swallowing acid. It was still one of Howie’s most vivid memories, actually. He remembered the popping feeling as his teeth ruptured the tiny little bits of pulp, and the sting of liquid acid spilling onto his tongue, hitting the back of his mouth, and he thought it might burn his throat. He remembered how his eyes had watered. And he remembered Nick Carter’s high-pitched laughter in the background.
Not long after Howie had met him, Nick challenged him to eat a lime, plain. At that point Nick was still young and socially awkward, even though he really did try his hardest to impress his friends, when he got the chance. So although the kid was obnoxious sometimes, well, probably most of the time, Howie still made an effort to humor him. They were sitting around Howie’s kitchen counter when Nick claimed that you couldn’t really be from Florida unless you ate plain limes. Mentioning that Howie had grown up there and spent his entire life in Florida, which was longer than Nick had even been there, was irrelevant. With Nick, facts like that usually were.
Howie thought the kid was playing with him, like he usually was. In the short time he had known him, the kid had proven himself to be a joker above all else. But then Nick had grabbed a lime from the bowl and tore off a chunk of skin with his teeth, before sinking his teeth into the pulp. The kid didn’t even flinch, and Howie realized that couldn’t have been his first time. He offered Howie the rest of it, like some kind of odd initiation right. And strangely enough, whenever Howie thought about the beginning of their friendship, that was where it started. Eating plain limes and laughing at each other.
* * * * *
“So pretty much all this kid does is sleep,” Nick drawled from his seat on the couch. “Like father like son I guess. He’s definitely yours.”
Howie glanced over to where James was sound asleep on the couch next to Nick, his chubby thumb hanging half out of his mouth. “No, not all the time. He’s probably just worn out from seeing the family yesterday. I am too, man.” He tossed the scissors aside, rubbing his hand as he examined the pile of wrapped gifts on the table.
“You planning on helping with this any time soon?”
Nick glanced over, eyeing the pile of red and green boxes. “Looks like you got a pretty good handle on it, man. I’d probably just get in your way.” His voice had that nonchalant, teasing quality to it, that might have pissed off anyone else. But anyone else wouldn't recognize it as a sign of endearment on Nick's part. Howie had learned to pay more attention to the way his eyes sparkled.
Howie couldn’t help laughing. “Typical, Nick, that’s typical. You offer to come over and help, and end up sitting on the couch watching football. Next time you need a favor, you know what I’m going to do? Come over and watch you, and drink your coffee. And make fun of you.”
Nick laughed. “Sounds like what you did last week. Really though, you thought I offered to come over to your house and perform manual labor? I think I should be a little offended that you would expect that from your guest. I thought the point was to spend time with my friend before flying across the country tomorrow, but I suppose if you'd rather put me to work.”
Nick got up off the couch and stretched, before draping his arms around Howie’s shoulders and blowing lightly into his ear. Howie swatted at him half-heartedly before grabbing the scissors and ribbon and handing it to him.
“Here, I told Leigh I would have these wrapped before she came home. I’ll wrap, you do the ribbon.”
Nick picked up the spool of ribbon and unwound a length of it, then wrapped it around Howie’s head. He twisted away before Howie could smack him, giggling. Howie tore the ribbon off and threw it on the table.
“Nick, I swear, James would be more help than you at this point. At least he’s not nearly as obnoxious as you are.”
Nick snorted. “That’s because he’s not old enough yet. You just wait, we’ll make a ham out of him yet. Once AJ and I are through training that kid it’ll be just like having us around, all the time.” Nick dramatically threw himself into the chair across from Howie and unwrapped more ribbon from the spool.
“Yeah, Leigh will really be thrilled with that.”
“Pssh, you know she loves me.” Nick laughs, twisting ribbon around his hand.
“Are you going to help me wrap gifts or what?” Howie sighed, more resigned than anything.
“How about, I’ll help you if you make it worth my while.” Nick smirked, with eyebrows raised.
Howie rolled his eyes. “Nick, come on. I told you, we don’t have time for that. Leigh’s going to be back in like half an hour.”
Nick continued threading the ribbon around his fingers, staring off somewhere past Howie’s shoulder on the wall behind him, and Howie was hit with a strong sense of déjà-vu. Replace the light snow falling on the windowsill with the heat of a summer day in Florida, and the pile of gifts on the table with a bowl of limes, and it could have been fifteen years ago. It was moments like this when Howie was struck by just how much Nick had changed. He was taller, older, maybe wiser, and in some respects he was a completely different person; but in many ways he was still the same obnoxious, socially awkward kid desperate for acceptance that Howie had known years ago. Howie himself had definitely changed as well, but looking at Nick's face, he felt the same longing. At heart they were still the same two kids from Florida, daring each other to eat limes.
* * * * *
Nick wrapped his arms around Howie’s shoulders again, and this time Howie turned into the embrace. Gifts and ribbon were left behind on the table, television still blaring in the background. And when Nick kissed him on the lips this time, Howie could still taste the tart bittersweetness of lime.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth.
Title: Bittersweet
Pairing: Howie/Nick
Rating: G
Summary: Howie reminisces on his relationship with Nick.
Author's Notes: Originally posted over at Make the Yuletide Gay for 2010. Written for Raven.
The first time he ever bit into a lime, Howie distinctly remembered, it was like swallowing acid. It was still one of Howie’s most vivid memories, actually. He remembered the popping feeling as his teeth ruptured the tiny little bits of pulp, and the sting of liquid acid spilling onto his tongue, hitting the back of his mouth, and he thought it might burn his throat. He remembered how his eyes had watered. And he remembered Nick Carter’s high-pitched laughter in the background.
Not long after Howie had met him, Nick challenged him to eat a lime, plain. At that point Nick was still young and socially awkward, even though he really did try his hardest to impress his friends, when he got the chance. So although the kid was obnoxious sometimes, well, probably most of the time, Howie still made an effort to humor him. They were sitting around Howie’s kitchen counter when Nick claimed that you couldn’t really be from Florida unless you ate plain limes. Mentioning that Howie had grown up there and spent his entire life in Florida, which was longer than Nick had even been there, was irrelevant. With Nick, facts like that usually were.
Howie thought the kid was playing with him, like he usually was. In the short time he had known him, the kid had proven himself to be a joker above all else. But then Nick had grabbed a lime from the bowl and tore off a chunk of skin with his teeth, before sinking his teeth into the pulp. The kid didn’t even flinch, and Howie realized that couldn’t have been his first time. He offered Howie the rest of it, like some kind of odd initiation right. And strangely enough, whenever Howie thought about the beginning of their friendship, that was where it started. Eating plain limes and laughing at each other.
* * * * *
“So pretty much all this kid does is sleep,” Nick drawled from his seat on the couch. “Like father like son I guess. He’s definitely yours.”
Howie glanced over to where James was sound asleep on the couch next to Nick, his chubby thumb hanging half out of his mouth. “No, not all the time. He’s probably just worn out from seeing the family yesterday. I am too, man.” He tossed the scissors aside, rubbing his hand as he examined the pile of wrapped gifts on the table.
“You planning on helping with this any time soon?”
Nick glanced over, eyeing the pile of red and green boxes. “Looks like you got a pretty good handle on it, man. I’d probably just get in your way.” His voice had that nonchalant, teasing quality to it, that might have pissed off anyone else. But anyone else wouldn't recognize it as a sign of endearment on Nick's part. Howie had learned to pay more attention to the way his eyes sparkled.
Howie couldn’t help laughing. “Typical, Nick, that’s typical. You offer to come over and help, and end up sitting on the couch watching football. Next time you need a favor, you know what I’m going to do? Come over and watch you, and drink your coffee. And make fun of you.”
Nick laughed. “Sounds like what you did last week. Really though, you thought I offered to come over to your house and perform manual labor? I think I should be a little offended that you would expect that from your guest. I thought the point was to spend time with my friend before flying across the country tomorrow, but I suppose if you'd rather put me to work.”
Nick got up off the couch and stretched, before draping his arms around Howie’s shoulders and blowing lightly into his ear. Howie swatted at him half-heartedly before grabbing the scissors and ribbon and handing it to him.
“Here, I told Leigh I would have these wrapped before she came home. I’ll wrap, you do the ribbon.”
Nick picked up the spool of ribbon and unwound a length of it, then wrapped it around Howie’s head. He twisted away before Howie could smack him, giggling. Howie tore the ribbon off and threw it on the table.
“Nick, I swear, James would be more help than you at this point. At least he’s not nearly as obnoxious as you are.”
Nick snorted. “That’s because he’s not old enough yet. You just wait, we’ll make a ham out of him yet. Once AJ and I are through training that kid it’ll be just like having us around, all the time.” Nick dramatically threw himself into the chair across from Howie and unwrapped more ribbon from the spool.
“Yeah, Leigh will really be thrilled with that.”
“Pssh, you know she loves me.” Nick laughs, twisting ribbon around his hand.
“Are you going to help me wrap gifts or what?” Howie sighed, more resigned than anything.
“How about, I’ll help you if you make it worth my while.” Nick smirked, with eyebrows raised.
Howie rolled his eyes. “Nick, come on. I told you, we don’t have time for that. Leigh’s going to be back in like half an hour.”
Nick continued threading the ribbon around his fingers, staring off somewhere past Howie’s shoulder on the wall behind him, and Howie was hit with a strong sense of déjà-vu. Replace the light snow falling on the windowsill with the heat of a summer day in Florida, and the pile of gifts on the table with a bowl of limes, and it could have been fifteen years ago. It was moments like this when Howie was struck by just how much Nick had changed. He was taller, older, maybe wiser, and in some respects he was a completely different person; but in many ways he was still the same obnoxious, socially awkward kid desperate for acceptance that Howie had known years ago. Howie himself had definitely changed as well, but looking at Nick's face, he felt the same longing. At heart they were still the same two kids from Florida, daring each other to eat limes.
* * * * *
Nick wrapped his arms around Howie’s shoulders again, and this time Howie turned into the embrace. Gifts and ribbon were left behind on the table, television still blaring in the background. And when Nick kissed him on the lips this time, Howie could still taste the tart bittersweetness of lime.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth.