Happy (belated) Holidays, justranda! [Part One]
Recipient: justranda
Author: farewells
Title: Give me space (so you can drown in this with me)
Characters: Demi, Nick, Joe, Miley
Pairings: Joe/Demi/Nick, Joe/Demi, Nick/Demi, Joe/Nick
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 16,594
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Threesomes, incest, schmoop.
Disclaimer: I don't know anything but my words.
A/N: Well, another year gone by and another fic exchange in which I my brain decided to write thousands and thousands of words above what was asked of me. (And another year where I decided to take lyrics from a Something Corporate song for the title. This time, "Space.") Some of this I wrote while drunk and a lot of this I wrote while not listening in my sociology lecture, typing away on my blackberry. All the thanks to inthenameofjuc for being my cheerleader, idea-bouncer-offer, beta, and best all around person.
Summary: Future fic. Joe and Demi are engaged and Nick lives with them. No one knows that's because they really are all in a relationship together. All the stress of the upcoming wedding, plus recording a new album with Nick, starts to get to Demi, until she feels like she can't breathe.
The Request: Tried to combine the requests of fluff, smut, romantic!Nick, and "and established relationship!fic where you get glimpses of their domestic routine. I'd especially like something where they're older and settled into their relationship and how they cope."
Demi's favorite place in the entire world is right here. The middle of this king-sized bed under all the covers. She woke up just a moment ago and smiles to herself when she feels the body to the right of hers start to stir, the stretch of Joe's leg pushing his bare thigh into hers. She turns her head and watches as his eyes slowly pop open.
"Hi," Demi mouths. She's being quiet; Nick is still asleep on her other side, his hand still barely wrapped around her forearm like it was when they all finally crashed last night.
Joe grins back, his eyes slanting with sleep. It's earlier than any of them usually wake up, of which Joe is always the earliest, but Demi has about nine million things to do today, including meeting with Dallas and Miley for breakfast to discuss wedding things before Miley has to fly off to New York for promo for her new movie. But it's not Miley's wedding - it's hers, Demi's. Hers. To Joe. And every time she thinks about it, little butterflies start swirling around in her stomach. (Demi tells herself that the butterflies are because she's excited, not that she's nauseous from having to hide the fact that both she and her fiancé are sleeping with his brother.) Then she has a meeting with LiveNation because they want to get her back on tour for the album that she's working on. Demi's not sure she even wants to do that, especially because she is unsure that this album will get done - she and Nick, her secret boyfriend and her not-so-secret producer and collaborator, keep clashing over every aspect of it.
Demi is jolted back into the present when she feels Joe's hand slide up her leg to rest on her hip, and she remembers that this is where she wants to stay forever, or at least a little longer before she starts her day. Demi leans in, slipping out of Nick's light grip so her own hands can find their way to Joe's stomach. She presses against his abs with her thumbs, thinking that maybe they could wake up Nick and get in a little fooling around before they both have to leave. (Joe's sitcom films everyday starting at nine.) When Joe bucks into her touch, Demi feels triumphant, ready to sway in and kiss him when Joe rolls over, a sneak attack. He gets his hands splayed across her ribs before he starts tickling and Demi can't help but squeal with laughter, kicking at Joe's legs and squirming to try and get from underneath him. She feels her shoulder knock into Nick's and she tips her head back - "Joseph, stop it," she tries to get out between her gulps of breath but it's Nick's voice, tired and annoyed, that gets him to actually quit it.
"I'm sleeping."
It only takes one second, one glance of Joe's mischevious eyes from Nick and back to Demi, still beneath him, before they are both pouncing. Demi gets her hands underneath Nick's armpits while Joe straddles his waist, reaching down to tickle the backs of his knees. Nick squawks and starts thrashing and Demi just laughs at how happy she is like this, the three of them naked and sleep-warm and horsing around like they are teenagers again. But then Nick manages to give Joe one hard shove to his chest and the next thing Demi knows, Joe is on the floor beside their bed. She can still hear him laughing, panting.
"You are ridiculous," Nick says as he looks down at his brother.
Demi stretches over Nick's body to see Joe laughing so hard he's crying, tan skin against their cream carpet. She feels Nick's hand slide up her back, like he's less annoyed at her. "So are you," she quips and ducks out of his touch and crawls over his legs. The sheets slide completely off her body as she gets her feet on the floor. She steps over Joe and heads back towards the bathroom. Her hair is messy as she flips it over one shoulder and then turns her head to look over the other. She catches Nick's eyes flicking up from her ass to her face, his bottom lip caught with his teeth. Joe's mouth is parted in surprise, eyes dark. Demi just winks and slips into their bathroom. She misses the way the boys turn to look at each other with a sigh, like they are the luckiest men alive.
*
It's rare that Demi wakes up alone. But one morning, she does. Nick was recording with someone else today, and Joe must have been extra stealthy as he got ready for his early call time. But the worst thing about waking up alone this morning is that it happens with a gasp, right at the end of a climax. She doesn't remember specifics, but she can feel how damp her panties are and she feels warm all over, sticky beneath the sheets. She clutches a hand to her chest as she takes a few more deep breaths. Her phone buzzes from the bedside table and Demi groans, just about ready to get herself off again. But she knows she doesn't have time and when she reads her email (Demi, please call me today so we can discuss floral arrangements. I need a confirmation on your color scheme, plus you haven't given me a final decision on you or your attendants' dresses. I know you have a lot to do but I'm here to make it easier for you! Have a good day. -- Melanie, M. Bloom Events) she's tempted to chuck the phone across the room. There's two months until the wedding and all they have set in stone is the date, the venue, and the catering. Joe was all about planning that part. Oh, Demi thinks, she did have part of the color scheme in mind. Joe had texted her a week after they got engaged, just one word: purple.
As she showers, she tries to think of what would go well with purple. She kind of wants red - everything dark and gothic. But the magazines she's been reading suggest maybe a dark orange, and Demi thinks that might be good because the wedding falls just at the end of autumn, right after Thanksgiving in Texas so all of their relatives will still be around... But the wedding planning doesn't go so well when she remembers that time in the shower when Nick had her pressed against the wall, Joe behind him, and she has to detach the shower head before finally heading out to start her day.
*
Demi is pretty sure she can feel how wet she is, just sitting in her car as she drives home. After that dream, and that shower, she had a full day of meetings, squirming in her seat and telling herself not to run off to the ladies' room and stick her hand down her skirt. She has two ready and more-than-willing boys at home. Demi opens the door to her convertible before the keys are even out of the ignition. She leaves her bags on the passenger seat and hurries up to the front door. Her keys land somewhere on the floor in front of the table in the foyer and so do her heels. She's shrugging off her jacket as she turns into the living room. The boys are sitting on the couch. She can see Joe playing NBA 2k15 on the big screen but Nick's head is lolling backwards, mouth parted with sleep.
"Hey," Joe calls, not looking away from the TV. Demi reaches over the back of the couch and presses the button she has learned pauses the game.
She brushes her mouth against the side of his head. "Hi." She's already breathless. She moves to kiss Nick on the cheek, jostling his shoulder with one of her hands. "Wake up." Nick grumbles, something that sounds like no mixed with why and turns his head the other way. "Fine," Demi sighs and rounds the couch. She kneels up on Joe's lap, just as he pushes the Xbox controller onto the floor and wraps his arms around her waist. Demi's pretty sure he's about to say something but she cups his face in her hands, leaning closer to catch his mouth with hers. She wastes no time, dipping her tongue into Joe's mouth, sucking on his bottom lip. Joe's fingers dig into her hips and she can feel her skirt riding up, her shirt coming untucked. She grinds down a little, Joe's thigh in between her own. She jacks her hips against him, anything to get closer, to get a little friction.
"Jesus, Demi," Joe breathes and pulls away. He rests his hands on her waist, squeezes a little as he feels her lips slide down his jaw. "Horny much?"
"I'm up!" comes Nick voice. The couch shifts with his weight; he's moving closer.
"I want you in my mouth." Demi whispers. She ducks her head and kisses Joe's neck, sucking at the vein that runs up the side of it. Her teeth graze against his skin and he shudders. "I've been thinking about it all day." Another press of her hips. "You want that?"
Joe lets his head fall back against the couch. Nick is beside Demi now, clearing her hair off her neck and shoulders. "I, uh, kinda just want you to keep talking." Joe's voice has taken a turn towards rough and he feels Demi's hands playing at the top of his jeans. "L-like what you want Nick to do while you blow me."
"Yeah, what about me?" Nick ducks his head, mouths up the side of Demi's neck.
Demi reaches out and gets a hand in Nick's curls. Her other hand slides down the inseam of Joe's jeans, palming at the bulge there. She arches back against Nick, suddenly overwhelmed with both of them trying to get at her, Joe's own hands sliding up under her shirt. "I want-- I want Nick to fuck you." Both the boys groan. Demi feels Nick's forehead drop against her shoulder and he bites down. "Maybe in the shower, s-standing up so I can get on my knees and--" She squeezes Joe's cock through denim and sways forward. He tries to catch her mouth but she pulls away, biting at her bottom lip and shutting her eyes like this is already too much to take.
"How are you even real?" Joe growls. He shucks up Demi's shirt and she raises her arms so he can pull it off her. Nick plucks at the clasp of her bra and Joe pulls the straps down her arms. He buries his face against her chest. "Keep going," he whispers before taking one of her nipples into his mouth.
Demi whines for a moment and she feels Nick's hips pressing up against her side. "Come on, Demi," he says in her ear, hands sliding down her back to push her skirt up over her hips.
She unbuttons Joe's jeans and slides her hands past his briefs to get her hand wrapped around his thick cock. She strokes him a few times, pressing her thumb against the head to swirl his pre-come down around rest of his length. Joe's mouth goes tighter around her nipple before he switches to the other one, but not before catching her eyes, reminding her she's supposed to be spinning a fantasy. "You-- you would be setting the pace," Demi gets out. She turns her head so Nick knows she's talking about him and he leans over a little, sliding his mouth against hers. She kisses him back, but braces herself with one hand on Joe's shoulder, the other still in his pants. Joe's kissing up her chest now, over her collarbones and up her neck. "Because every thrust of your dick into Joe would send his - oh, his - dick into my mouth and-- fuck, Nick."
Nick's hand has traveled down between her legs, rubbing at her through her slick panties from behind. "Yeah?" Nick's voice is pleased. "You're so wet thinking about it, huh?" He slips his fingers past the cotton and Demi keens out the affirmative, a breathless yes.
"Wanna feel," Joe mumbles against her ear and it's all Demi can do to keep running her hand along his cock as she feels his fingers join with Nick's, both of them feeling how drenched she is. "Oh, god, you are... Would you let me fuck you? A-after you blew me?"
"Oh, Joe, yeah. Yeah. Always let you fuck me."
Nick is sucking hard right below her ear, the hand that isn't between her thighs is fisted in the bunched-up fabric of her skirt, when Joe speaks again. "How about right now? Since you've been wanting me all day..." His mouth is on hers before she can answer. Nick pulls at her skirt even more and Demi breaks away from Joe's lips with a gasp. She just nods, an answer to his quirked-up eyebrows. It's a momentary struggle to get Demi's panties down, even with Nick helping but when Joe grunts "fuck it," Demi just slumps forwards and lifts her hips. Nick's hands keep her suspended up for a second until Joe slides his cock into her. Another whispered cuss word, three simultaneous moans.
Demi vaguely hears the sounds of another zipper being undone as she bounces up and down, the slap of wet skin, the pounding of blood in her ears too loud for anything else. Demi rucks up Joe's t-shirt and feels the strong muscles of his chest underneath her palm, flexing when his hips thrust up.
"Hey," Nick's voice is quiet but he wraps one of his hands in Demi's hair, tilting her head back to look at him. Her eyelids are heavy, and Nick's looks the same. He shifts closer and Demi feels the hard nudge of his cockhead against her hip, a smear of wet as a leans in and kisses her. She sucks at his bottom lip, licking at the plump flesh but then her mouth slips when she feels a thumb on her clit-- she bites Nick. He hisses, even through her mumbled apology. "Wish I could get inside you, too."
"Oh, God," Demi says, the only words her brain can manage. Joe whines below her and Demi drops her head closer to his, hips still rocking, Nick still rubbing at her, still talking.
"Feel both of you. H-how hot, and... and hard and wet and--" Nick's curls brush against Demi's shoulder and he slides his dick right against her hipbone.
Demi watches as Joe's mouth parts with each heavy breath he's taking. The hair around his temples has started to curl and there's almost no hint of his caramel-colored eyes, pupils too blown out. "Nicky, fu-- yeah, yeah, yeah," Joe chants with each pump of his hips and then with a groan, fingertips digging into skin, he comes. Demi whimpers as she feels him slick her up inside. She takes a deep breath as Joe does. "You want that?" he finally manages to ask, hand sliding down to cup Nick's cock against her side.
And it's-- it's the one thing she thinks about most. More than going down on Joe, or Nick going down on her-- she wants them both inside her. Wants to feel how stretched out she can get, full of both her boys. Demi grips Joe's shoulder as she holds her hips down, still, and lets Nick's thumb take her over the edge; images of herself stuck between them, getting fucked, flash before her eyes. She bites her own lip to stop herself from screaming too loud as she loses it. Her heart feels like it's beating out of her chest, her legs are shaking, and before it's even over she feels the splatter of Nick's release down her side, her stomach, her hip. His muscled arm wraps around her waist to brace himself, but Demi can't keep herself upright either, and they both collapse against Joe's chest.
"Shit," Joe whispers, mouth presses against her head. Demi just smiles.
*
Joe doesn't do anything differently when he walks into their house a few nights later. He throws his keys on the table by the door instead of hanging them on one of three hooks conviently placed above the table and he kicks off his shoes without bothering to line them up with Nick's (Demi always puts hers away in her closet like the neat-freak she is). He doesn't even really think about why some of the main lights are off until he saunters into the living room and sees Demi passed out against the side of the couch, one of her hands just barely keeping her laptop balanced on her knees. Her glasses are crooked, digging into her cheek, and her hair is piled up on top of her head, dangly earrings draped against her neck. Joe smiles to himself and crosses the room. He kneels next to Demi and tries to take the laptop from her without disturbing her sleep.
"Huh, wha--? I swear I only fell asleep for a second--" Demi's eyes fly open and she jumps a little, pushing Joe away like he's an intruder.
Joe chuckles. "Sssh, it's just me." He pushes a few strands of hair off her face before noticing that she's dressed in one of his plaid shirts and a pair of boxers that he's pretty sure are Nick's, but who's to know anymore. "When did you get home?" He gets ahold of the laptop and Demi relaxes against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"A few hours ago," she sighs. She kisses Joe's shoulder through the cloth of his sweater. "I couldn't--" Demi sighs again, exhaling hard out of her nose. "Nick is driving me crazy."
"So you left?" Joe lets his hand skim down to rub at the skin revealed by the open collar of the shirt Demi's got on. She's warm, and Joe suddenly feels a lot more sleepy than he did walking in the door.
"Well, first we yelled at each other. Then I left. I had to call for a car. Then I decided I would relax here at home and do some wedding stuff and I guess I fell asleep." Demi reaches over Joe and taps at the laptop. "I needed your opinion on some things though."
Joe smiles. "Sure. Show me what you've been working on." He hands her the laptop and Demi opens it, pulling up a few websites before pushing it back to rest over both of their laps.
She curls closer before talking again. "I know you wanted one of the main colors to be purple, so I picked out this one." She points to a square of deep royal purple on the screen. "But we need something to go with it... I talked to Mel the other day and I was thinking like, a dove gray? Or maybe even a dark orange and we could have this whole autumn-y theme going on..." Demi scrolls down the page and the other colors appear. She looks up at Joe for an answer.
"I like the gray. Classy," Joe says.
"That's what I thought, too." Demi pauses. "Do you... think we should ask Nick what he thinks?"
Joe clicks his teeth. "I think he'll like whatever we choose. Besides, aren't you mad at him?" Joe jokes, digging his fingers into Demi's shoulder.
Demi laughs a little and clicks on another tab. "I am. Oh, wait, no, don't look!" She hurriedly clicks out of the window. "Not the dresses. You can't see those. But here, what do you think about these place mats?"
Joe sighs, dropping a kiss against Demi's head before sliding up off the couch. "You're on your own with that one. How about I make dinner instead?"
"I'm not that hungry." She looks at the screen instead of Joe's face.
"I can't even tempt you with some flat-iron steak quesadillas? Aaand, hmm, fresh corn salsa?"
Demi peeks up at him over her glasses. "No onions?"
"No onions. Come on, bring your laptop into the kitchen. I'll help you with anything other than place mats."
*
Joe is just sliding the quesadillas onto a platter when Nick walks into the kitchen, messenger bag still slung across his body like he didn't even pause at the front door.
"Hi," he breathes. Demi doesn't glance up from her laptop. Nick looks across the kitchen to Joe, eyes wide like help me out here but Joe just shrugs and goes back to spooning salsa into three little separate bowls. "I'm sorry I was being such a dick in the studio." Nothing. Nick walks closer, ducks his head and presses a kiss to Demi's cheek. She flinches. "Come on, you know how I get."
"Not an excuse!" She almost yells. "Because you know how I get--mmph!" Nick's lips stop anything else from coming out of Demi's mouth.
Joe is laughing in the background. "Dinner is ready." Nick pulls away from the kiss, looking self-satisfied.
"Hate you," Demi mumbles and shuts her laptop.
Nick chuckles, walking all the way into the kitchen. "No you don't. And I really am sorry." He waits until Joe is done washing his hands before sliding a strong arm around his waist and kissing his temple. "Smells delicious."
*
Joe usually has to wake up earlier than either Demi or Nick every morning. And he's almost always a huge klutz. But the next day when Demi feels Joe roll out of bed and stub his toe on the night stand, she feels like it might be a bad day. When she hears Joe knock down probably the entire contents of their double-sink bathroom counter, she knows it. Demi sighs and rolls closer to Nick. He's awake too, because she feels a hand trail up her side and start toying with the ends of her hair. She falls back asleep like that, letting the sound of Joe in the shower and Nick's soft touches lull her into thinking that everything will go smoothly today.
Until Nick's phone starts ringing, vibrating against the hardwood of the other night stand along with the jangly vocals of Stevie Wonder. They both sigh, and Nick disentagles himself from Demi just far enough so he can reach the phone and turn off the noise. Demi thinks he's going to curl back up to her but instead Nick groans louder this time and slides off the bed. She peeks with one eye as Nick slips out of the bedroom in his boxers, Blackberry pressed to his ear.
It's quiet in the bathroom now, Joe doing his daily moisturizing and hair-gel routine, even though it will only be redone on set. Demi revels in the silence and having the bed to herself and wraps the blankets tighter around her body before dozing off again. She barely feels it when Joe presses a kiss to her head on his way out the door.
*
Nick's nowhere to be found when Demi wakes up for real, and so she decides on taking a long leisurely shower. They don't have to be in the studio until two, and maybe she can coerce Nick into running to the florist with her beforehand. He owes her for yesterday.
But the the hot water cuts out about five minutes into the shower, causing Demi to grit her teeth and press herself up against the tiles to avoid the cold stream as she quickly tries to finish shaving her legs. She rinses out the conditioner from her hair and cuts the water off, shivering, suds still dripping off her body. There's no steam on the mirror and Demi frowns at her naked body as she clips her hair up before grabbing a towel.
"Shit shit shit shit," Demi hisses as she walks out of the bathroom and notices a trail of blood streaming down her leg. She hitches up her towel and sees a slice right above her knee. "Shit."
"Are you okay?" comes a voice from the walk-in closet. Demi frowns, knowing Joe left hours ago. Then Nick's head rounds the door, a light purple silk tie in his hand. "Oh, shit," he parrots when he sees the blood. "Don't move." Demi nods and Nick slips into the bathroom, coming out with a wad of tissue. "Here." He kneels, pressing his thumb into the skin of Demi's thigh to keep her steady as he uses his other hand to wipe up the blood that's drying at her ankle and all the way up.
Demi sighs because it stings when he presses the tissue against the cut. "I know you're just sucking up to me right now."
"Is it working?" Nick looks up at her from his place on the floor and gives her a smile. Demi tries not to smile back. "There." He pinches her thigh a little before standing back up.
"What were you doing in there?" Demi nods to the closet. Even though the three of them have been sharing a bed for the better part of two years, Nick still has his own suite down the hall; his own closet with his own clothes. "I thought we weren't going to the studio until later."
Nick picks the tie up off the bed where he had discarded it a moment ago. "Dad called." He doesn't roll his eyes but it's evident in his voice and Demi's just glad that he isn't their manager anymore. "Impromptu business brunch or something... And I wanted a new tie." Nick grins at he slings Joe's tie around his neck.
"Oh." Demi sits down on the foot of the bed and hitches her towel closer to her body. She can feel droplets of water sliding down her neck from where her hair is all piled up on top of her head.
"But I'll still be at the studio at two, okay? We just won't be going together." Nick kneels again, gets his hands on Demi's thighs and looks up at her. "Then how about we all go out to dinner? Joe said he'll be done relatively early."
Demi nods and she seems upset. She wants to spill everything, how feels lonely even with the two of them by her side, how it gets harder everyday to keep their lives a secret. She reaches for Nick instead, sliding a hand through his hair. It's a little damp and Demi suddenly understands. "Did you use up all the hot water?"
Nick smirks a little. "Not on purpose, I promise." His smirk evens out to something more genuine as he leans up and kisses Demi. He cups her face with both of his hands and presses harder with his lips. "I love you, you know that," he whispers. "I love both of you."
"I know." She kisses him again, holds him there with her hands on the shoulders of his starched-white shirt. He opens his mouth just a little and Demi doesn't back away until she feels her lungs begging for air.
"So, I'll see you soon? And dinner after? Whatever you want." Nick stands up and wipes the imaginary dust off his knees. He looks handsome.
Demi stands up, too, and heads for the closet. She hopes Joe isn't wearing his ratty jeans today because she wants to go somewhere nice tonight. "Sounds good."
*
When Demi saunters into the studio at five after two, she's hit with the smells of a full-on buffet of her favorite Chinese foods. From her favorite Chinese place. First, she's excited, because her stomach was growling all the way through her visit with the florist. Then, she realizes that it's just Nick sucking up again, because he's standing at the corner of the table with an apprehensive smile on his face. She smiles back because she can see her favorite cold sesame noodles waiting for her and really, she can't hold a grudge against him anyway. But then Demi pauses in the doorway, finally wondering why they are having such a late lunch if they had planned on an early dinner.
"What's all this?" Demi asks, putting down her purse on the sofa. There's a few dyed-purple roses sticking out of the black leather that she's hoping to get into water so they'll still be alive by the time they meet up with Joe.
"Lunch," Nick asserts and John Fields laughs in the background. She thinks it's funny how these are the two guys her career started with, and even after years of trying to find what was best for her, she just came full circle. "Because, um, Joe called me and said they'll be filming late? And I knew you probably were just going to wait until dinner, so..."
Demi hates when he's right. Which is all the time. She also hates that Joe is going to be later than planned because she's wearing a slightly uncomfortable dress. And because this is just another thing on the list of stuff that sucks today. Including the stuffy nose she acquired from the florist, who apologized and said something about pollen. No shit.
"Thank you." She smiles, and it's a real one, but she kind of wishes she could just kiss Nick and forget about everything for a minute. But John is there. And she assumes Animal will be there soon, too. So instead she stuffs her face with those steamed veggie dumplings before starting in on the noodles, just barely saving room for the beef and broccoli she shares with Nick, who laughs at her failed attempt to use chopsticks. And finally, when they start actually recording, Demi feels a lot better. And also, stuffed, her tight dress not helping.
*
"Okay, that was great." Nick's voice floods her headphones and she can see his mouth moving on the other side of the glass. "But I want you to do it again, this time going, like, a half-octave lower at the end."
Demi sighs, tangling the cord of the headphones around her fingers and squeezing. "No."
"No?" Nick's face is bewildered and John stops mid-way with a forkful of fried rice to his mouth.
"I like the way I just did it. It doesn't need to be lower. No."
Nick nods, slowly, and reaches up to loosen his tie at the neck. "Do you wanna hear it back?" he asks and Demi almost snaps because that's not a nice white flag of agreement. It's a condescending attempt to prove he's always right.
"Sure." Demi shrugs and takes the headphones off, leaving them on the stand before heading back into the mixing room. "Allow me," she says as she leans over Nick and presses play.
Her voice floods the room and she grins. She loves the way it sounds, even over just the guitar track Nick had laid down yesterday before their fight. (Animal had called and said his wife had food poisoning, and that he wouldn't be able to make it. #435 on the now-mentally capitalized List of Stuff That Sucks Today.) Demi likes the way her voice stays even at the end; it sounds strong that way. When the track is over, she places her hands on her hips and questions Nick with a quirk of her lips.
"If I still think you should re-do it lower, what will you say?" Nick backs up a little.
Demi drops her head into her hand, shaking it like she can't believe this is how her day is going. This is exactly how their fight started yesterday - a small disagreement, Nick telling her what to do, John staying out of it until it had broken into screaming. "This," Demi says and walks towards the door. "Just give me a minute. Please." She ignores the look Nick shoots John on her way out of the room.
When the door closes, Demi leans up against it and closes her eyes. She recalls that she has her own car with her this time but then she also realizes that she's being a little bit of a big baby. Walking away from disagreements isn't any way to solve them, she knows, but sometimes (when she's not enamored by it) she hates Nick's face. His smug little face because he knows he's right about her going down a half-octave. It would sound really cool. But that's just not what she wants from the song and she should be able to feel that way too.
She sighs, biting her lip and fights the urge to call Joe. A) Her phone is in the other room and B) Demi knows that she can't just run to her fiance every time something goes wrong. Because Nick is also kind-of her fiance, in some weird twisted way. She's marrying Nick too, just without the all the legal benefits and the backlash of being a bigamist. She knows that the right thing to do is fix your problem directly with the person who is causing it. And right now, her problem is this song she's recording with Nick (because she doesn't even want to think about the other problems, the ones that will never be solved). So Demi straightens up and takes a deep breath and heads back into the studio.
"Sorry." Nick's munching on a fortune cookie in the corner, leaning against the mixing table. He gives her a silent nod but he's not mad. "It's just-- It's not that I don't think you're right-" Nick starts towards her with a slight smile on his face. The one that Demi hates. "I'm not done. Because I also think I'm right. And I want to try this song my way, okay? I've given you a lot of say in this album, and I wanted to, I want your help and your opinions and your talent but I also want my own. Because I've done this without you before, and it's gone pretty well." Demi stops and looks at Nick. He's still smiling.
"I know. I know you don't need me." Demi really, really wishes John wasn't in the room. Because she does need him, in more ways than this. "And I feel like I've already apologized a million times but I just can't help that I want this to be perfect. You deserve that."
"And I appreciate that. But does your opinion automatically warrant perfection? Come on, Nick. That's my whole problem with you--"
"No, it doesn't, that's what I'm trying to say. That's what I'm trying to apologize for. For being a douchey perfectionist." Nick holds his hand out. "I'm not wrong on that count, am I?"
John bursts out laughing at that and it's all Demi can do to not follow suit. She just rolls her eyes and takes Nick's hand with hers. He gives it a light squeeze and smiles. "God, I hate you. You are a douche."
"I know. But I'm also going to back off now, okay? The song sounds good. Really." Nick widens his eyes like he wants to say more, things that he can't say here.
Demi gives him a knowing smile. "Thank you." She curtsies. "Can you run it back then, John? We have time for me to ad-lib over it before dinner."
John nods, turning towards the sound board and the computer. "Yup." He clicks a few buttons and Demi heads back towards the recording room. "Except, uh... it's not here."
"What?" Demi asks. She has never seen Nick move so fast, crossing the room so he can lean over John's shoulder and scan the computer screen for himself. "What do you mean it's not there? We-- we just recorded it fifteen minutes ago."
She watches as Nick's face falls as he turns to her. "It's not there. It's-- the track is blank. All of it. Dem, I--" He reaches towards her right as Demi finally lets the tears that have been swimming around in her eyes all day drop. "Hey, John? Why don't we just call it a day?"
"Sure thing." John looks just as disappointed and sorry as Nick does as he packs up his bass. "Same time next week?"
Demi sniffles and clears her throat. "Yeah. Thank you." He just salutes them on his way out.
It's only a second before Nick's got his arms around Demi, her hands fisting the hem of his shirt as she presses her face against his chest.
*
Joe's already sitting down at Valentino, the fancy Italian place in Santa Monica. He smiles when he sees Nick and Demi and stands up as they get closer to the table. He presses a kiss to Demi's lips, full-on and a little bit wet, before pulling her seat out for her.
"Hi, how was your day?" He's all-smiles, glasses on after a day of contacts and stage makeup. He looks young, even with the five o'clock shadow beginning to form on his jaw and Demi manages a smile before rolling her eyes.
"Awful."
Joe raises his eyebrows as his glance darts back and forth between Demi and Nick, who's placed himself on the other side of the table. "Would you care to elaborate?" He places his hand over Demi's on the table, wrapping his fingers around hers as she drops her head. "No? Okay. Nick?"
"Uh, from what I experienced: a cold shower, shaving injuries, an argument with me, and a lost track at the studio. I'm also assuming there were florist woes because you didn't look too happy after that."
"Shit," Demi whispers. "I left the flowers at the studio." She looks up only to have two pairs of brown eyes staring at her sympathetically. Demi holds her hands out as if to stop time and push away all the bad things. She picks up the menu in front of her. "I'm ordering the biggest, most unhealthy plate of pasta and neither of you are going to say anything about it."
"Noted, babe," Joe chuckles.
"And dessert. I'm getting dessert."
*
Demi decides to do the tour. She signs a contract for 10 shows before the January release of the album, one that night, and then 10 after. The next few weeks are full of even more meetings, a bunch of radio promotion for ticket sales, all of that in between dress fittings down at Vera Wang. She forces Joe and Nick to make appointments at the tailor and she sends Miley her dress in Nashville so she can have it fitted while she's filming. They decided on a shade of purple that was just in-between eggplant and royal, a dark jewel-tone.
After what feels like the millionth day of recording, interviews and meetings and phone calls, Demi just sits in the driveway for a few minutes. She rests her head on the cool leather of the steering wheel and reaches up to massage her temple. She kind of feels like curling into a ball until her wedding day. Or the day after. But instead Demi runs a hand through her hair and finally heads into the house. She hears Joe and Nick in the kitchen and her stomach grumbles. All she had today was a bagel and iced coffee for lunch.
"I am so glad we were in the studio before my radio interview today," Demi says as she walks into the kitchen. She pauses when she sees Joe washing his hands at the sink, Nick pressed up behind him with his lips low on Joe's neck.
Nick looks up and backs away a few inches, but Demi sees the way his hands caress Joe's hips first. "Why's that?" He smiles at her and Joe nods his hello as she puts her purse down on the counter, leans against it.
"Did neither of you listen? Because it was horrible, asking me about my feelings about you, Nick, because we had been pictured together so much lately. I was like... we carpool to work. But it just made me so--" Demi stops, clenching her fists. "They asked me when you were going to move out. And I had to bullshit some stuff about the honey moon and the tour and, so you'd be here alone anyway. I don't know."
"I'm not moving out." Nick grabs a platter of chicken and walks towards the dining room table.
Demi follows. Joe is behind her with a pot of rice. "That's not the point. I feel like I'm the only one that's getting asked these questions."
"That's because you're the only one who's being booked for press right now." Joe brushes a kiss to her lips as he sits down at the table. "Everyone loves a bride and you've got new music to promote."
She purses her lips at Joe and is about to retort when Nick speaks up. "And everyone also loves chicken, so eat up." He slides a piece of it onto her plate. Demi just sighs.
After dinner, Demi backs away from dessert. She says something about a "wedding diet" and both Joe and Nick roll their eyes. Joe dips his index finger into the thick chocolate icing that's covering the cake he made after work and tries to chase her with it, around the counter and out of the kitchen. Demi runs all the way into her office, collapsing with giggles into her swiveling chair.
"Joe," she admonishes when he steps closer, finger dangerously close to her face. "Come on, I have to do some work."
Joe backs off and leans against the door frame. He twirls his chocolately finger in the air right as Nick appears beside him. Joe pauses. "You want?" He points the finger at Nick, but Nick just shakes his head with a laugh. Joe shrugs, taking his finger into his mouth and sucking. Demi watches as his tongue swirls around his finger tip, teeth scraping against skin. He makes a pleased sound when he's done, still looking at Nick, and Demi shifts in her seat.
"Um." Both Joe and Nick turn towards her, startled almost. Nick's freckles are fading under his blushed cheeks. "Unless you guys want to help me with some last minute wedding details--" Joe makes a face. "Exactly. Then get out." She smiles sweetly, which gets returned by Nick, but Joe sticks his tongue out at her. He pulls Nick by the arm back into the living room and when Demi hears the TV switch on, SportsCenter blaring, she gets up and shuts the door.
Demi opens her laptop; open on the screen is a document, a checklist. There are only a few things left. She starts with simple - sending emails out to the venue and the caterer and the florist, making sure everything is still on track for next month. She clicks through the pictures of the flowers they've chosen and smiles. She knows they are perfect. The next unchecked thing on her list is presents for bridal party. She frowns and skips it. What on earth could she get for Dallas and Miley that they don't already have? She scans her eyes over the list until she finds something she feels like she can do right now. Something productive to keep her mind off the headache she's had all day, the nervous-stressed-whatthefuckamidoing stomach ache that seems to wash over her whenever she has a moment alone, a moment to think.
Lingerie, the list reads. Demi's eyes light up. She opens up a new tab in Firefox, opens a few of the websites she's already bookmarked. Soon, she's browsing through lace and silk and sheer shiny fabrics of all colors. Thongs and tangas and hi-cut bikini panties, with teddies and babydolls and push-up bras, garter belts and stockings, and just thinking about wearing some of these things is making Demi's head spin with the possibilities - of what happens when they come off. She presses her thighs together, bites her lip unconsciously, and clicks back to the page with her favorite set so far. Completely sheer lace at the top, a bow right beneath the chest, and some flowy fabric down to the tops of her thighs, a matching thong underneath. All black. Demi rolls her mouse over the other color choices. There's an eggplant color, something Demi knows would look good against her skin tone, and it goes with the purple theme of the wedding. It's Joe's favorite color. But there's a royal blue color, too, that Nick would love. She clicks on the black again, realizing she doesn't even know what the wedding night sex will entail. If it will be the three of them, or just her and Joe, and she's suddenly overwhelmed.
Demi clicks out of the window. She closes her eyes. She sees herself in the lingerie, peeking out of the bathroom in their hotel suite, seeing her boys waiting for her. Both of them, together. She thinks about how maybe they could... they could both get inside her this time. Like that time they talked about it and they all got off so hard. Demi bites her lip even harder now.
"Shit," she curses. She opens up the link with the lacy black babydoll again and a little thrill runs through her this time. She wants Joe and Nick, now. Tonight. She hurries out of her office without even closing her laptop.
The living room is quiet. The TV is off and the boys aren't on the couch. The kitchen is dark. Maybe they went upstairs, Demi thinks. They've got their home gym up there, and it's not so late that Joe wouldn't be getting in a work out. Nick's office is up there, too. She heads up the steps but finds the halls just as dark as downstairs. Demi slips into their master bedroom, trying to be quiet because maybe they fell asleep.
One of the bedside lamps is on, and so is the light in the bathroom. She walks towards it, hears the rush of water from the shower. She opens the door all the way and what she sees makes her stomach lurch. Not in a tingly, aroused way like it was, like it should be. But in that stressed, upset way. Demi watches for moment longer - Joe and Nick under the water together, Nick's back pressed against the frosted glass of the shower door, Joe's hands on his ass. They're kissing, greedy and hard, and Joe's fingers straying towards Nick's hole and Demi feels like breaking through the glass door, breaking them apart.
"Really?!" she yells, feeling like she's five years old and not getting what she wants but this is just the cherry on top of another awful day. Another day of acting like she's fine. Joe looks up from where he's sucking on Nick's neck just long enough to catch Demi's eyes before she storms out of the bathroom.
She hears a commotion in the bathroom, the glass door slamming against tile wall. "Demi!" She spins around, hands on her hips. Joe is merely holding a towel in his hand, standing in the middle of their bedroom completely naked. He's hard, dick jutting up towards his stomach, and water dripping all down his chest, his legs, onto the floor.
"Joe," Demi says, trying not to whine. She motions to the towel and it takes Joe a moment to realize she wants him to put it on. She starts to walk away again when Joe grabs her wrist.
"What was that?" he asks, pulling her towards the bed. He sits and she follows, burying her face in her hands. She doesn't want to cry. Not tonight, not again. Not because she's so scared of everything that could happen. Of what she could lose.
When Demi takes a deep breath, it comes out as a sob. "I can't do this."
Joe reaches his hand up to skim a finger along Demi's cheek. She doesn't budge. "Can't do what, baby? What's wrong? All the stress still? I told you you shouldn't have left all the wedding planning so late."
"It's not just the planning," she spits.
"The album then? It's almost done and you know Nick... where's Nick?" Joe looks around the room. Nick never left the bathroom.
"I'm in here," Nick's voice calls, sheepish. He steps out of the bathroom, toweling off his curls. He's completely dressed. "I didn't wanna..." He gestures towards the two of them, the way Joe is holding Demi's hand in her lap. She drops it.
"Well, this has to do with you too!" Demi snaps and stands up. She feels two pairs of eyes on her back the whole way out of the room.
Nick sits down in the spot Demi just left. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes. He's about to speak when the front door slams. Then, "Joe, you're getting the bed all wet."
Joe looks down and realizes he's still dripping everywhere. He looks at Nick, eyes wide and incredulous. "Did she just leave?" He stands up. "She just left."
"Let her go, Joe. Whatever's going on..." Nick runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. Confused. He knows the expression on his face must mirror his brother's. "It'll be fine," he finally finishes. He doesn't like not knowing what to say.
Joe doesn't say anything as he heads back into the bathroom.
- PART TWO-
Author: farewells
Title: Give me space (so you can drown in this with me)
Characters: Demi, Nick, Joe, Miley
Pairings: Joe/Demi/Nick, Joe/Demi, Nick/Demi, Joe/Nick
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 16,594
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Threesomes, incest, schmoop.
Disclaimer: I don't know anything but my words.
A/N: Well, another year gone by and another fic exchange in which I my brain decided to write thousands and thousands of words above what was asked of me. (And another year where I decided to take lyrics from a Something Corporate song for the title. This time, "Space.") Some of this I wrote while drunk and a lot of this I wrote while not listening in my sociology lecture, typing away on my blackberry. All the thanks to inthenameofjuc for being my cheerleader, idea-bouncer-offer, beta, and best all around person.
Summary: Future fic. Joe and Demi are engaged and Nick lives with them. No one knows that's because they really are all in a relationship together. All the stress of the upcoming wedding, plus recording a new album with Nick, starts to get to Demi, until she feels like she can't breathe.
The Request: Tried to combine the requests of fluff, smut, romantic!Nick, and "and established relationship!fic where you get glimpses of their domestic routine. I'd especially like something where they're older and settled into their relationship and how they cope."
Demi's favorite place in the entire world is right here. The middle of this king-sized bed under all the covers. She woke up just a moment ago and smiles to herself when she feels the body to the right of hers start to stir, the stretch of Joe's leg pushing his bare thigh into hers. She turns her head and watches as his eyes slowly pop open.
"Hi," Demi mouths. She's being quiet; Nick is still asleep on her other side, his hand still barely wrapped around her forearm like it was when they all finally crashed last night.
Joe grins back, his eyes slanting with sleep. It's earlier than any of them usually wake up, of which Joe is always the earliest, but Demi has about nine million things to do today, including meeting with Dallas and Miley for breakfast to discuss wedding things before Miley has to fly off to New York for promo for her new movie. But it's not Miley's wedding - it's hers, Demi's. Hers. To Joe. And every time she thinks about it, little butterflies start swirling around in her stomach. (Demi tells herself that the butterflies are because she's excited, not that she's nauseous from having to hide the fact that both she and her fiancé are sleeping with his brother.) Then she has a meeting with LiveNation because they want to get her back on tour for the album that she's working on. Demi's not sure she even wants to do that, especially because she is unsure that this album will get done - she and Nick, her secret boyfriend and her not-so-secret producer and collaborator, keep clashing over every aspect of it.
Demi is jolted back into the present when she feels Joe's hand slide up her leg to rest on her hip, and she remembers that this is where she wants to stay forever, or at least a little longer before she starts her day. Demi leans in, slipping out of Nick's light grip so her own hands can find their way to Joe's stomach. She presses against his abs with her thumbs, thinking that maybe they could wake up Nick and get in a little fooling around before they both have to leave. (Joe's sitcom films everyday starting at nine.) When Joe bucks into her touch, Demi feels triumphant, ready to sway in and kiss him when Joe rolls over, a sneak attack. He gets his hands splayed across her ribs before he starts tickling and Demi can't help but squeal with laughter, kicking at Joe's legs and squirming to try and get from underneath him. She feels her shoulder knock into Nick's and she tips her head back - "Joseph, stop it," she tries to get out between her gulps of breath but it's Nick's voice, tired and annoyed, that gets him to actually quit it.
"I'm sleeping."
It only takes one second, one glance of Joe's mischevious eyes from Nick and back to Demi, still beneath him, before they are both pouncing. Demi gets her hands underneath Nick's armpits while Joe straddles his waist, reaching down to tickle the backs of his knees. Nick squawks and starts thrashing and Demi just laughs at how happy she is like this, the three of them naked and sleep-warm and horsing around like they are teenagers again. But then Nick manages to give Joe one hard shove to his chest and the next thing Demi knows, Joe is on the floor beside their bed. She can still hear him laughing, panting.
"You are ridiculous," Nick says as he looks down at his brother.
Demi stretches over Nick's body to see Joe laughing so hard he's crying, tan skin against their cream carpet. She feels Nick's hand slide up her back, like he's less annoyed at her. "So are you," she quips and ducks out of his touch and crawls over his legs. The sheets slide completely off her body as she gets her feet on the floor. She steps over Joe and heads back towards the bathroom. Her hair is messy as she flips it over one shoulder and then turns her head to look over the other. She catches Nick's eyes flicking up from her ass to her face, his bottom lip caught with his teeth. Joe's mouth is parted in surprise, eyes dark. Demi just winks and slips into their bathroom. She misses the way the boys turn to look at each other with a sigh, like they are the luckiest men alive.
*
It's rare that Demi wakes up alone. But one morning, she does. Nick was recording with someone else today, and Joe must have been extra stealthy as he got ready for his early call time. But the worst thing about waking up alone this morning is that it happens with a gasp, right at the end of a climax. She doesn't remember specifics, but she can feel how damp her panties are and she feels warm all over, sticky beneath the sheets. She clutches a hand to her chest as she takes a few more deep breaths. Her phone buzzes from the bedside table and Demi groans, just about ready to get herself off again. But she knows she doesn't have time and when she reads her email (Demi, please call me today so we can discuss floral arrangements. I need a confirmation on your color scheme, plus you haven't given me a final decision on you or your attendants' dresses. I know you have a lot to do but I'm here to make it easier for you! Have a good day. -- Melanie, M. Bloom Events) she's tempted to chuck the phone across the room. There's two months until the wedding and all they have set in stone is the date, the venue, and the catering. Joe was all about planning that part. Oh, Demi thinks, she did have part of the color scheme in mind. Joe had texted her a week after they got engaged, just one word: purple.
As she showers, she tries to think of what would go well with purple. She kind of wants red - everything dark and gothic. But the magazines she's been reading suggest maybe a dark orange, and Demi thinks that might be good because the wedding falls just at the end of autumn, right after Thanksgiving in Texas so all of their relatives will still be around... But the wedding planning doesn't go so well when she remembers that time in the shower when Nick had her pressed against the wall, Joe behind him, and she has to detach the shower head before finally heading out to start her day.
*
Demi is pretty sure she can feel how wet she is, just sitting in her car as she drives home. After that dream, and that shower, she had a full day of meetings, squirming in her seat and telling herself not to run off to the ladies' room and stick her hand down her skirt. She has two ready and more-than-willing boys at home. Demi opens the door to her convertible before the keys are even out of the ignition. She leaves her bags on the passenger seat and hurries up to the front door. Her keys land somewhere on the floor in front of the table in the foyer and so do her heels. She's shrugging off her jacket as she turns into the living room. The boys are sitting on the couch. She can see Joe playing NBA 2k15 on the big screen but Nick's head is lolling backwards, mouth parted with sleep.
"Hey," Joe calls, not looking away from the TV. Demi reaches over the back of the couch and presses the button she has learned pauses the game.
She brushes her mouth against the side of his head. "Hi." She's already breathless. She moves to kiss Nick on the cheek, jostling his shoulder with one of her hands. "Wake up." Nick grumbles, something that sounds like no mixed with why and turns his head the other way. "Fine," Demi sighs and rounds the couch. She kneels up on Joe's lap, just as he pushes the Xbox controller onto the floor and wraps his arms around her waist. Demi's pretty sure he's about to say something but she cups his face in her hands, leaning closer to catch his mouth with hers. She wastes no time, dipping her tongue into Joe's mouth, sucking on his bottom lip. Joe's fingers dig into her hips and she can feel her skirt riding up, her shirt coming untucked. She grinds down a little, Joe's thigh in between her own. She jacks her hips against him, anything to get closer, to get a little friction.
"Jesus, Demi," Joe breathes and pulls away. He rests his hands on her waist, squeezes a little as he feels her lips slide down his jaw. "Horny much?"
"I'm up!" comes Nick voice. The couch shifts with his weight; he's moving closer.
"I want you in my mouth." Demi whispers. She ducks her head and kisses Joe's neck, sucking at the vein that runs up the side of it. Her teeth graze against his skin and he shudders. "I've been thinking about it all day." Another press of her hips. "You want that?"
Joe lets his head fall back against the couch. Nick is beside Demi now, clearing her hair off her neck and shoulders. "I, uh, kinda just want you to keep talking." Joe's voice has taken a turn towards rough and he feels Demi's hands playing at the top of his jeans. "L-like what you want Nick to do while you blow me."
"Yeah, what about me?" Nick ducks his head, mouths up the side of Demi's neck.
Demi reaches out and gets a hand in Nick's curls. Her other hand slides down the inseam of Joe's jeans, palming at the bulge there. She arches back against Nick, suddenly overwhelmed with both of them trying to get at her, Joe's own hands sliding up under her shirt. "I want-- I want Nick to fuck you." Both the boys groan. Demi feels Nick's forehead drop against her shoulder and he bites down. "Maybe in the shower, s-standing up so I can get on my knees and--" She squeezes Joe's cock through denim and sways forward. He tries to catch her mouth but she pulls away, biting at her bottom lip and shutting her eyes like this is already too much to take.
"How are you even real?" Joe growls. He shucks up Demi's shirt and she raises her arms so he can pull it off her. Nick plucks at the clasp of her bra and Joe pulls the straps down her arms. He buries his face against her chest. "Keep going," he whispers before taking one of her nipples into his mouth.
Demi whines for a moment and she feels Nick's hips pressing up against her side. "Come on, Demi," he says in her ear, hands sliding down her back to push her skirt up over her hips.
She unbuttons Joe's jeans and slides her hands past his briefs to get her hand wrapped around his thick cock. She strokes him a few times, pressing her thumb against the head to swirl his pre-come down around rest of his length. Joe's mouth goes tighter around her nipple before he switches to the other one, but not before catching her eyes, reminding her she's supposed to be spinning a fantasy. "You-- you would be setting the pace," Demi gets out. She turns her head so Nick knows she's talking about him and he leans over a little, sliding his mouth against hers. She kisses him back, but braces herself with one hand on Joe's shoulder, the other still in his pants. Joe's kissing up her chest now, over her collarbones and up her neck. "Because every thrust of your dick into Joe would send his - oh, his - dick into my mouth and-- fuck, Nick."
Nick's hand has traveled down between her legs, rubbing at her through her slick panties from behind. "Yeah?" Nick's voice is pleased. "You're so wet thinking about it, huh?" He slips his fingers past the cotton and Demi keens out the affirmative, a breathless yes.
"Wanna feel," Joe mumbles against her ear and it's all Demi can do to keep running her hand along his cock as she feels his fingers join with Nick's, both of them feeling how drenched she is. "Oh, god, you are... Would you let me fuck you? A-after you blew me?"
"Oh, Joe, yeah. Yeah. Always let you fuck me."
Nick is sucking hard right below her ear, the hand that isn't between her thighs is fisted in the bunched-up fabric of her skirt, when Joe speaks again. "How about right now? Since you've been wanting me all day..." His mouth is on hers before she can answer. Nick pulls at her skirt even more and Demi breaks away from Joe's lips with a gasp. She just nods, an answer to his quirked-up eyebrows. It's a momentary struggle to get Demi's panties down, even with Nick helping but when Joe grunts "fuck it," Demi just slumps forwards and lifts her hips. Nick's hands keep her suspended up for a second until Joe slides his cock into her. Another whispered cuss word, three simultaneous moans.
Demi vaguely hears the sounds of another zipper being undone as she bounces up and down, the slap of wet skin, the pounding of blood in her ears too loud for anything else. Demi rucks up Joe's t-shirt and feels the strong muscles of his chest underneath her palm, flexing when his hips thrust up.
"Hey," Nick's voice is quiet but he wraps one of his hands in Demi's hair, tilting her head back to look at him. Her eyelids are heavy, and Nick's looks the same. He shifts closer and Demi feels the hard nudge of his cockhead against her hip, a smear of wet as a leans in and kisses her. She sucks at his bottom lip, licking at the plump flesh but then her mouth slips when she feels a thumb on her clit-- she bites Nick. He hisses, even through her mumbled apology. "Wish I could get inside you, too."
"Oh, God," Demi says, the only words her brain can manage. Joe whines below her and Demi drops her head closer to his, hips still rocking, Nick still rubbing at her, still talking.
"Feel both of you. H-how hot, and... and hard and wet and--" Nick's curls brush against Demi's shoulder and he slides his dick right against her hipbone.
Demi watches as Joe's mouth parts with each heavy breath he's taking. The hair around his temples has started to curl and there's almost no hint of his caramel-colored eyes, pupils too blown out. "Nicky, fu-- yeah, yeah, yeah," Joe chants with each pump of his hips and then with a groan, fingertips digging into skin, he comes. Demi whimpers as she feels him slick her up inside. She takes a deep breath as Joe does. "You want that?" he finally manages to ask, hand sliding down to cup Nick's cock against her side.
And it's-- it's the one thing she thinks about most. More than going down on Joe, or Nick going down on her-- she wants them both inside her. Wants to feel how stretched out she can get, full of both her boys. Demi grips Joe's shoulder as she holds her hips down, still, and lets Nick's thumb take her over the edge; images of herself stuck between them, getting fucked, flash before her eyes. She bites her own lip to stop herself from screaming too loud as she loses it. Her heart feels like it's beating out of her chest, her legs are shaking, and before it's even over she feels the splatter of Nick's release down her side, her stomach, her hip. His muscled arm wraps around her waist to brace himself, but Demi can't keep herself upright either, and they both collapse against Joe's chest.
"Shit," Joe whispers, mouth presses against her head. Demi just smiles.
*
Joe doesn't do anything differently when he walks into their house a few nights later. He throws his keys on the table by the door instead of hanging them on one of three hooks conviently placed above the table and he kicks off his shoes without bothering to line them up with Nick's (Demi always puts hers away in her closet like the neat-freak she is). He doesn't even really think about why some of the main lights are off until he saunters into the living room and sees Demi passed out against the side of the couch, one of her hands just barely keeping her laptop balanced on her knees. Her glasses are crooked, digging into her cheek, and her hair is piled up on top of her head, dangly earrings draped against her neck. Joe smiles to himself and crosses the room. He kneels next to Demi and tries to take the laptop from her without disturbing her sleep.
"Huh, wha--? I swear I only fell asleep for a second--" Demi's eyes fly open and she jumps a little, pushing Joe away like he's an intruder.
Joe chuckles. "Sssh, it's just me." He pushes a few strands of hair off her face before noticing that she's dressed in one of his plaid shirts and a pair of boxers that he's pretty sure are Nick's, but who's to know anymore. "When did you get home?" He gets ahold of the laptop and Demi relaxes against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"A few hours ago," she sighs. She kisses Joe's shoulder through the cloth of his sweater. "I couldn't--" Demi sighs again, exhaling hard out of her nose. "Nick is driving me crazy."
"So you left?" Joe lets his hand skim down to rub at the skin revealed by the open collar of the shirt Demi's got on. She's warm, and Joe suddenly feels a lot more sleepy than he did walking in the door.
"Well, first we yelled at each other. Then I left. I had to call for a car. Then I decided I would relax here at home and do some wedding stuff and I guess I fell asleep." Demi reaches over Joe and taps at the laptop. "I needed your opinion on some things though."
Joe smiles. "Sure. Show me what you've been working on." He hands her the laptop and Demi opens it, pulling up a few websites before pushing it back to rest over both of their laps.
She curls closer before talking again. "I know you wanted one of the main colors to be purple, so I picked out this one." She points to a square of deep royal purple on the screen. "But we need something to go with it... I talked to Mel the other day and I was thinking like, a dove gray? Or maybe even a dark orange and we could have this whole autumn-y theme going on..." Demi scrolls down the page and the other colors appear. She looks up at Joe for an answer.
"I like the gray. Classy," Joe says.
"That's what I thought, too." Demi pauses. "Do you... think we should ask Nick what he thinks?"
Joe clicks his teeth. "I think he'll like whatever we choose. Besides, aren't you mad at him?" Joe jokes, digging his fingers into Demi's shoulder.
Demi laughs a little and clicks on another tab. "I am. Oh, wait, no, don't look!" She hurriedly clicks out of the window. "Not the dresses. You can't see those. But here, what do you think about these place mats?"
Joe sighs, dropping a kiss against Demi's head before sliding up off the couch. "You're on your own with that one. How about I make dinner instead?"
"I'm not that hungry." She looks at the screen instead of Joe's face.
"I can't even tempt you with some flat-iron steak quesadillas? Aaand, hmm, fresh corn salsa?"
Demi peeks up at him over her glasses. "No onions?"
"No onions. Come on, bring your laptop into the kitchen. I'll help you with anything other than place mats."
*
Joe is just sliding the quesadillas onto a platter when Nick walks into the kitchen, messenger bag still slung across his body like he didn't even pause at the front door.
"Hi," he breathes. Demi doesn't glance up from her laptop. Nick looks across the kitchen to Joe, eyes wide like help me out here but Joe just shrugs and goes back to spooning salsa into three little separate bowls. "I'm sorry I was being such a dick in the studio." Nothing. Nick walks closer, ducks his head and presses a kiss to Demi's cheek. She flinches. "Come on, you know how I get."
"Not an excuse!" She almost yells. "Because you know how I get--mmph!" Nick's lips stop anything else from coming out of Demi's mouth.
Joe is laughing in the background. "Dinner is ready." Nick pulls away from the kiss, looking self-satisfied.
"Hate you," Demi mumbles and shuts her laptop.
Nick chuckles, walking all the way into the kitchen. "No you don't. And I really am sorry." He waits until Joe is done washing his hands before sliding a strong arm around his waist and kissing his temple. "Smells delicious."
*
Joe usually has to wake up earlier than either Demi or Nick every morning. And he's almost always a huge klutz. But the next day when Demi feels Joe roll out of bed and stub his toe on the night stand, she feels like it might be a bad day. When she hears Joe knock down probably the entire contents of their double-sink bathroom counter, she knows it. Demi sighs and rolls closer to Nick. He's awake too, because she feels a hand trail up her side and start toying with the ends of her hair. She falls back asleep like that, letting the sound of Joe in the shower and Nick's soft touches lull her into thinking that everything will go smoothly today.
Until Nick's phone starts ringing, vibrating against the hardwood of the other night stand along with the jangly vocals of Stevie Wonder. They both sigh, and Nick disentagles himself from Demi just far enough so he can reach the phone and turn off the noise. Demi thinks he's going to curl back up to her but instead Nick groans louder this time and slides off the bed. She peeks with one eye as Nick slips out of the bedroom in his boxers, Blackberry pressed to his ear.
It's quiet in the bathroom now, Joe doing his daily moisturizing and hair-gel routine, even though it will only be redone on set. Demi revels in the silence and having the bed to herself and wraps the blankets tighter around her body before dozing off again. She barely feels it when Joe presses a kiss to her head on his way out the door.
*
Nick's nowhere to be found when Demi wakes up for real, and so she decides on taking a long leisurely shower. They don't have to be in the studio until two, and maybe she can coerce Nick into running to the florist with her beforehand. He owes her for yesterday.
But the the hot water cuts out about five minutes into the shower, causing Demi to grit her teeth and press herself up against the tiles to avoid the cold stream as she quickly tries to finish shaving her legs. She rinses out the conditioner from her hair and cuts the water off, shivering, suds still dripping off her body. There's no steam on the mirror and Demi frowns at her naked body as she clips her hair up before grabbing a towel.
"Shit shit shit shit," Demi hisses as she walks out of the bathroom and notices a trail of blood streaming down her leg. She hitches up her towel and sees a slice right above her knee. "Shit."
"Are you okay?" comes a voice from the walk-in closet. Demi frowns, knowing Joe left hours ago. Then Nick's head rounds the door, a light purple silk tie in his hand. "Oh, shit," he parrots when he sees the blood. "Don't move." Demi nods and Nick slips into the bathroom, coming out with a wad of tissue. "Here." He kneels, pressing his thumb into the skin of Demi's thigh to keep her steady as he uses his other hand to wipe up the blood that's drying at her ankle and all the way up.
Demi sighs because it stings when he presses the tissue against the cut. "I know you're just sucking up to me right now."
"Is it working?" Nick looks up at her from his place on the floor and gives her a smile. Demi tries not to smile back. "There." He pinches her thigh a little before standing back up.
"What were you doing in there?" Demi nods to the closet. Even though the three of them have been sharing a bed for the better part of two years, Nick still has his own suite down the hall; his own closet with his own clothes. "I thought we weren't going to the studio until later."
Nick picks the tie up off the bed where he had discarded it a moment ago. "Dad called." He doesn't roll his eyes but it's evident in his voice and Demi's just glad that he isn't their manager anymore. "Impromptu business brunch or something... And I wanted a new tie." Nick grins at he slings Joe's tie around his neck.
"Oh." Demi sits down on the foot of the bed and hitches her towel closer to her body. She can feel droplets of water sliding down her neck from where her hair is all piled up on top of her head.
"But I'll still be at the studio at two, okay? We just won't be going together." Nick kneels again, gets his hands on Demi's thighs and looks up at her. "Then how about we all go out to dinner? Joe said he'll be done relatively early."
Demi nods and she seems upset. She wants to spill everything, how feels lonely even with the two of them by her side, how it gets harder everyday to keep their lives a secret. She reaches for Nick instead, sliding a hand through his hair. It's a little damp and Demi suddenly understands. "Did you use up all the hot water?"
Nick smirks a little. "Not on purpose, I promise." His smirk evens out to something more genuine as he leans up and kisses Demi. He cups her face with both of his hands and presses harder with his lips. "I love you, you know that," he whispers. "I love both of you."
"I know." She kisses him again, holds him there with her hands on the shoulders of his starched-white shirt. He opens his mouth just a little and Demi doesn't back away until she feels her lungs begging for air.
"So, I'll see you soon? And dinner after? Whatever you want." Nick stands up and wipes the imaginary dust off his knees. He looks handsome.
Demi stands up, too, and heads for the closet. She hopes Joe isn't wearing his ratty jeans today because she wants to go somewhere nice tonight. "Sounds good."
*
When Demi saunters into the studio at five after two, she's hit with the smells of a full-on buffet of her favorite Chinese foods. From her favorite Chinese place. First, she's excited, because her stomach was growling all the way through her visit with the florist. Then, she realizes that it's just Nick sucking up again, because he's standing at the corner of the table with an apprehensive smile on his face. She smiles back because she can see her favorite cold sesame noodles waiting for her and really, she can't hold a grudge against him anyway. But then Demi pauses in the doorway, finally wondering why they are having such a late lunch if they had planned on an early dinner.
"What's all this?" Demi asks, putting down her purse on the sofa. There's a few dyed-purple roses sticking out of the black leather that she's hoping to get into water so they'll still be alive by the time they meet up with Joe.
"Lunch," Nick asserts and John Fields laughs in the background. She thinks it's funny how these are the two guys her career started with, and even after years of trying to find what was best for her, she just came full circle. "Because, um, Joe called me and said they'll be filming late? And I knew you probably were just going to wait until dinner, so..."
Demi hates when he's right. Which is all the time. She also hates that Joe is going to be later than planned because she's wearing a slightly uncomfortable dress. And because this is just another thing on the list of stuff that sucks today. Including the stuffy nose she acquired from the florist, who apologized and said something about pollen. No shit.
"Thank you." She smiles, and it's a real one, but she kind of wishes she could just kiss Nick and forget about everything for a minute. But John is there. And she assumes Animal will be there soon, too. So instead she stuffs her face with those steamed veggie dumplings before starting in on the noodles, just barely saving room for the beef and broccoli she shares with Nick, who laughs at her failed attempt to use chopsticks. And finally, when they start actually recording, Demi feels a lot better. And also, stuffed, her tight dress not helping.
*
"Okay, that was great." Nick's voice floods her headphones and she can see his mouth moving on the other side of the glass. "But I want you to do it again, this time going, like, a half-octave lower at the end."
Demi sighs, tangling the cord of the headphones around her fingers and squeezing. "No."
"No?" Nick's face is bewildered and John stops mid-way with a forkful of fried rice to his mouth.
"I like the way I just did it. It doesn't need to be lower. No."
Nick nods, slowly, and reaches up to loosen his tie at the neck. "Do you wanna hear it back?" he asks and Demi almost snaps because that's not a nice white flag of agreement. It's a condescending attempt to prove he's always right.
"Sure." Demi shrugs and takes the headphones off, leaving them on the stand before heading back into the mixing room. "Allow me," she says as she leans over Nick and presses play.
Her voice floods the room and she grins. She loves the way it sounds, even over just the guitar track Nick had laid down yesterday before their fight. (Animal had called and said his wife had food poisoning, and that he wouldn't be able to make it. #435 on the now-mentally capitalized List of Stuff That Sucks Today.) Demi likes the way her voice stays even at the end; it sounds strong that way. When the track is over, she places her hands on her hips and questions Nick with a quirk of her lips.
"If I still think you should re-do it lower, what will you say?" Nick backs up a little.
Demi drops her head into her hand, shaking it like she can't believe this is how her day is going. This is exactly how their fight started yesterday - a small disagreement, Nick telling her what to do, John staying out of it until it had broken into screaming. "This," Demi says and walks towards the door. "Just give me a minute. Please." She ignores the look Nick shoots John on her way out of the room.
When the door closes, Demi leans up against it and closes her eyes. She recalls that she has her own car with her this time but then she also realizes that she's being a little bit of a big baby. Walking away from disagreements isn't any way to solve them, she knows, but sometimes (when she's not enamored by it) she hates Nick's face. His smug little face because he knows he's right about her going down a half-octave. It would sound really cool. But that's just not what she wants from the song and she should be able to feel that way too.
She sighs, biting her lip and fights the urge to call Joe. A) Her phone is in the other room and B) Demi knows that she can't just run to her fiance every time something goes wrong. Because Nick is also kind-of her fiance, in some weird twisted way. She's marrying Nick too, just without the all the legal benefits and the backlash of being a bigamist. She knows that the right thing to do is fix your problem directly with the person who is causing it. And right now, her problem is this song she's recording with Nick (because she doesn't even want to think about the other problems, the ones that will never be solved). So Demi straightens up and takes a deep breath and heads back into the studio.
"Sorry." Nick's munching on a fortune cookie in the corner, leaning against the mixing table. He gives her a silent nod but he's not mad. "It's just-- It's not that I don't think you're right-" Nick starts towards her with a slight smile on his face. The one that Demi hates. "I'm not done. Because I also think I'm right. And I want to try this song my way, okay? I've given you a lot of say in this album, and I wanted to, I want your help and your opinions and your talent but I also want my own. Because I've done this without you before, and it's gone pretty well." Demi stops and looks at Nick. He's still smiling.
"I know. I know you don't need me." Demi really, really wishes John wasn't in the room. Because she does need him, in more ways than this. "And I feel like I've already apologized a million times but I just can't help that I want this to be perfect. You deserve that."
"And I appreciate that. But does your opinion automatically warrant perfection? Come on, Nick. That's my whole problem with you--"
"No, it doesn't, that's what I'm trying to say. That's what I'm trying to apologize for. For being a douchey perfectionist." Nick holds his hand out. "I'm not wrong on that count, am I?"
John bursts out laughing at that and it's all Demi can do to not follow suit. She just rolls her eyes and takes Nick's hand with hers. He gives it a light squeeze and smiles. "God, I hate you. You are a douche."
"I know. But I'm also going to back off now, okay? The song sounds good. Really." Nick widens his eyes like he wants to say more, things that he can't say here.
Demi gives him a knowing smile. "Thank you." She curtsies. "Can you run it back then, John? We have time for me to ad-lib over it before dinner."
John nods, turning towards the sound board and the computer. "Yup." He clicks a few buttons and Demi heads back towards the recording room. "Except, uh... it's not here."
"What?" Demi asks. She has never seen Nick move so fast, crossing the room so he can lean over John's shoulder and scan the computer screen for himself. "What do you mean it's not there? We-- we just recorded it fifteen minutes ago."
She watches as Nick's face falls as he turns to her. "It's not there. It's-- the track is blank. All of it. Dem, I--" He reaches towards her right as Demi finally lets the tears that have been swimming around in her eyes all day drop. "Hey, John? Why don't we just call it a day?"
"Sure thing." John looks just as disappointed and sorry as Nick does as he packs up his bass. "Same time next week?"
Demi sniffles and clears her throat. "Yeah. Thank you." He just salutes them on his way out.
It's only a second before Nick's got his arms around Demi, her hands fisting the hem of his shirt as she presses her face against his chest.
*
Joe's already sitting down at Valentino, the fancy Italian place in Santa Monica. He smiles when he sees Nick and Demi and stands up as they get closer to the table. He presses a kiss to Demi's lips, full-on and a little bit wet, before pulling her seat out for her.
"Hi, how was your day?" He's all-smiles, glasses on after a day of contacts and stage makeup. He looks young, even with the five o'clock shadow beginning to form on his jaw and Demi manages a smile before rolling her eyes.
"Awful."
Joe raises his eyebrows as his glance darts back and forth between Demi and Nick, who's placed himself on the other side of the table. "Would you care to elaborate?" He places his hand over Demi's on the table, wrapping his fingers around hers as she drops her head. "No? Okay. Nick?"
"Uh, from what I experienced: a cold shower, shaving injuries, an argument with me, and a lost track at the studio. I'm also assuming there were florist woes because you didn't look too happy after that."
"Shit," Demi whispers. "I left the flowers at the studio." She looks up only to have two pairs of brown eyes staring at her sympathetically. Demi holds her hands out as if to stop time and push away all the bad things. She picks up the menu in front of her. "I'm ordering the biggest, most unhealthy plate of pasta and neither of you are going to say anything about it."
"Noted, babe," Joe chuckles.
"And dessert. I'm getting dessert."
*
Demi decides to do the tour. She signs a contract for 10 shows before the January release of the album, one that night, and then 10 after. The next few weeks are full of even more meetings, a bunch of radio promotion for ticket sales, all of that in between dress fittings down at Vera Wang. She forces Joe and Nick to make appointments at the tailor and she sends Miley her dress in Nashville so she can have it fitted while she's filming. They decided on a shade of purple that was just in-between eggplant and royal, a dark jewel-tone.
After what feels like the millionth day of recording, interviews and meetings and phone calls, Demi just sits in the driveway for a few minutes. She rests her head on the cool leather of the steering wheel and reaches up to massage her temple. She kind of feels like curling into a ball until her wedding day. Or the day after. But instead Demi runs a hand through her hair and finally heads into the house. She hears Joe and Nick in the kitchen and her stomach grumbles. All she had today was a bagel and iced coffee for lunch.
"I am so glad we were in the studio before my radio interview today," Demi says as she walks into the kitchen. She pauses when she sees Joe washing his hands at the sink, Nick pressed up behind him with his lips low on Joe's neck.
Nick looks up and backs away a few inches, but Demi sees the way his hands caress Joe's hips first. "Why's that?" He smiles at her and Joe nods his hello as she puts her purse down on the counter, leans against it.
"Did neither of you listen? Because it was horrible, asking me about my feelings about you, Nick, because we had been pictured together so much lately. I was like... we carpool to work. But it just made me so--" Demi stops, clenching her fists. "They asked me when you were going to move out. And I had to bullshit some stuff about the honey moon and the tour and, so you'd be here alone anyway. I don't know."
"I'm not moving out." Nick grabs a platter of chicken and walks towards the dining room table.
Demi follows. Joe is behind her with a pot of rice. "That's not the point. I feel like I'm the only one that's getting asked these questions."
"That's because you're the only one who's being booked for press right now." Joe brushes a kiss to her lips as he sits down at the table. "Everyone loves a bride and you've got new music to promote."
She purses her lips at Joe and is about to retort when Nick speaks up. "And everyone also loves chicken, so eat up." He slides a piece of it onto her plate. Demi just sighs.
After dinner, Demi backs away from dessert. She says something about a "wedding diet" and both Joe and Nick roll their eyes. Joe dips his index finger into the thick chocolate icing that's covering the cake he made after work and tries to chase her with it, around the counter and out of the kitchen. Demi runs all the way into her office, collapsing with giggles into her swiveling chair.
"Joe," she admonishes when he steps closer, finger dangerously close to her face. "Come on, I have to do some work."
Joe backs off and leans against the door frame. He twirls his chocolately finger in the air right as Nick appears beside him. Joe pauses. "You want?" He points the finger at Nick, but Nick just shakes his head with a laugh. Joe shrugs, taking his finger into his mouth and sucking. Demi watches as his tongue swirls around his finger tip, teeth scraping against skin. He makes a pleased sound when he's done, still looking at Nick, and Demi shifts in her seat.
"Um." Both Joe and Nick turn towards her, startled almost. Nick's freckles are fading under his blushed cheeks. "Unless you guys want to help me with some last minute wedding details--" Joe makes a face. "Exactly. Then get out." She smiles sweetly, which gets returned by Nick, but Joe sticks his tongue out at her. He pulls Nick by the arm back into the living room and when Demi hears the TV switch on, SportsCenter blaring, she gets up and shuts the door.
Demi opens her laptop; open on the screen is a document, a checklist. There are only a few things left. She starts with simple - sending emails out to the venue and the caterer and the florist, making sure everything is still on track for next month. She clicks through the pictures of the flowers they've chosen and smiles. She knows they are perfect. The next unchecked thing on her list is presents for bridal party. She frowns and skips it. What on earth could she get for Dallas and Miley that they don't already have? She scans her eyes over the list until she finds something she feels like she can do right now. Something productive to keep her mind off the headache she's had all day, the nervous-stressed-whatthefuckamidoing stomach ache that seems to wash over her whenever she has a moment alone, a moment to think.
Lingerie, the list reads. Demi's eyes light up. She opens up a new tab in Firefox, opens a few of the websites she's already bookmarked. Soon, she's browsing through lace and silk and sheer shiny fabrics of all colors. Thongs and tangas and hi-cut bikini panties, with teddies and babydolls and push-up bras, garter belts and stockings, and just thinking about wearing some of these things is making Demi's head spin with the possibilities - of what happens when they come off. She presses her thighs together, bites her lip unconsciously, and clicks back to the page with her favorite set so far. Completely sheer lace at the top, a bow right beneath the chest, and some flowy fabric down to the tops of her thighs, a matching thong underneath. All black. Demi rolls her mouse over the other color choices. There's an eggplant color, something Demi knows would look good against her skin tone, and it goes with the purple theme of the wedding. It's Joe's favorite color. But there's a royal blue color, too, that Nick would love. She clicks on the black again, realizing she doesn't even know what the wedding night sex will entail. If it will be the three of them, or just her and Joe, and she's suddenly overwhelmed.
Demi clicks out of the window. She closes her eyes. She sees herself in the lingerie, peeking out of the bathroom in their hotel suite, seeing her boys waiting for her. Both of them, together. She thinks about how maybe they could... they could both get inside her this time. Like that time they talked about it and they all got off so hard. Demi bites her lip even harder now.
"Shit," she curses. She opens up the link with the lacy black babydoll again and a little thrill runs through her this time. She wants Joe and Nick, now. Tonight. She hurries out of her office without even closing her laptop.
The living room is quiet. The TV is off and the boys aren't on the couch. The kitchen is dark. Maybe they went upstairs, Demi thinks. They've got their home gym up there, and it's not so late that Joe wouldn't be getting in a work out. Nick's office is up there, too. She heads up the steps but finds the halls just as dark as downstairs. Demi slips into their master bedroom, trying to be quiet because maybe they fell asleep.
One of the bedside lamps is on, and so is the light in the bathroom. She walks towards it, hears the rush of water from the shower. She opens the door all the way and what she sees makes her stomach lurch. Not in a tingly, aroused way like it was, like it should be. But in that stressed, upset way. Demi watches for moment longer - Joe and Nick under the water together, Nick's back pressed against the frosted glass of the shower door, Joe's hands on his ass. They're kissing, greedy and hard, and Joe's fingers straying towards Nick's hole and Demi feels like breaking through the glass door, breaking them apart.
"Really?!" she yells, feeling like she's five years old and not getting what she wants but this is just the cherry on top of another awful day. Another day of acting like she's fine. Joe looks up from where he's sucking on Nick's neck just long enough to catch Demi's eyes before she storms out of the bathroom.
She hears a commotion in the bathroom, the glass door slamming against tile wall. "Demi!" She spins around, hands on her hips. Joe is merely holding a towel in his hand, standing in the middle of their bedroom completely naked. He's hard, dick jutting up towards his stomach, and water dripping all down his chest, his legs, onto the floor.
"Joe," Demi says, trying not to whine. She motions to the towel and it takes Joe a moment to realize she wants him to put it on. She starts to walk away again when Joe grabs her wrist.
"What was that?" he asks, pulling her towards the bed. He sits and she follows, burying her face in her hands. She doesn't want to cry. Not tonight, not again. Not because she's so scared of everything that could happen. Of what she could lose.
When Demi takes a deep breath, it comes out as a sob. "I can't do this."
Joe reaches his hand up to skim a finger along Demi's cheek. She doesn't budge. "Can't do what, baby? What's wrong? All the stress still? I told you you shouldn't have left all the wedding planning so late."
"It's not just the planning," she spits.
"The album then? It's almost done and you know Nick... where's Nick?" Joe looks around the room. Nick never left the bathroom.
"I'm in here," Nick's voice calls, sheepish. He steps out of the bathroom, toweling off his curls. He's completely dressed. "I didn't wanna..." He gestures towards the two of them, the way Joe is holding Demi's hand in her lap. She drops it.
"Well, this has to do with you too!" Demi snaps and stands up. She feels two pairs of eyes on her back the whole way out of the room.
Nick sits down in the spot Demi just left. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes. He's about to speak when the front door slams. Then, "Joe, you're getting the bed all wet."
Joe looks down and realizes he's still dripping everywhere. He looks at Nick, eyes wide and incredulous. "Did she just leave?" He stands up. "She just left."
"Let her go, Joe. Whatever's going on..." Nick runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. Confused. He knows the expression on his face must mirror his brother's. "It'll be fine," he finally finishes. He doesn't like not knowing what to say.
Joe doesn't say anything as he heads back into the bathroom.
- PART TWO-