My Beloved Shadow

**
desperatedesire_maliciousintent: Yes, I\'m very glad I don\'t have to type it. *copies and pastes* That\'s definitely an interesting name, what type of music is it? *likes a little of everything* I\'m glad you noticed it, I always find it interesting when most people miss the little hints I throw around. And I was hinting like mad on that one, at least I thought I was. *grin*
Na3na: Thanks. Michael won\'t change too much from what he was initially. He\'s just that way. So he won\'t lose his \'manliness\'. *lol* Believe me, I don\'t like any of my characters(whether male OR female) to be too non-aggresive. Jason is bad enough. heh
(This is also to answer Kyo-nezumi\'s review)
And thanks to everyone else! *Gives everyone a hug and a bag of their favorite cookie*
Now, onto the chapter!
**



Michael was very late to meet up with Athan. He and Nick stayed in the room all night long. They spent most of the night making up for all the time that they hadn’t been together. Finally, they had fallen asleep and did not wake up until late morning. Being the ruler, Michael is allowed to sleep in a little, though he likes being the first one up in the mornings.

Nick buries his head under the pillows as the morning light starts to shine into the room. It wasn’t harsh like the sun on earth, but it was still light. Michael yawns and stretches, then turns and tickles Nick’s side.

Nick squirms a little and said something, but it’s little more than sound with his head under the pillow. Michael picks the pillow up, grinning the whole time.

“What did you say?”

Nick turns his head, blinking up at Michael. “I’m not getting up, it’s too early.”

Michael laughs and leans over to kiss Nick.

“Good morning to you too, ceylo. We’ve all ready slept in long enough, soon my people will start to worry that something is wrong and come to check on me.”

“That’s fine, you go and I’ll stay.”

Nick pulls the blanket over his head, burrowing beneath it. He doesn’t feel the least bit tired, just lazy. This is the first time in a long time that he’s felt like he could get away with being a little lazy.

“Mai!” Michael exclaimed, he pulls the blanket back, throwing it completely off the bed, and pounces on Nick. They wrestle for a moment before they both pull back, laughing.

“All right. All right! I’m up, you don’t have to be so mean.”

Michael shakes his head, “You think that’s mean? I could of tickled you until you got up.”

“I’m not that ticklish…” Nick protests, but when Michael moves, his hands held out to tickle Nick, he jumps off the bed as fast as he can. Michael sits back with a grin, his eyes moving over Nick.

It takes Nick a moment to realize that he hadn’t taken a blanket or anything to cover up with and is now standing across the bed from Michael, naked.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

He glares at Michael who’s only answer is to laugh. Nick rolls his eyes and walks to the door that separates his room from Michael’s.
“Your not leaving all ready? I’ve just started having fun.”

Nick doesn’t say anything, just shuts the door behind him. But, once the door is shut, he allows himself a smile. It had been nice to wake up with Michael, even all the joking around he had enjoyed.

He hasn’t had time to add any personal touches to his room so it looks almost identical to Michael’s. It just doesn’t have the shields, or the painting. After all this time Nick still hasn’t discovered who the couple is in the picture. The man looks a lot like Michael, but there is a look to his eyes that Nick has never seen on Michael. Though he cannot place what it is.

Nick goes to his closet, a walk-in that’s on the opposite side as the door between the rooms. There isn’t much in it, just a few things he brought with him. He had gotten measured for some clothes about a week ago when Michael had realized he was wearing the same five outfits. It had taken him nearly three weeks to notice.

As Nick pulls his clothes out he wonders how long the change will last. He can’t completely believe that things will be this good from now one. Michael will go back to what he was before and he will once again be thrust into a nightmare.

His father had never stayed nice long. A week, a month, and then he would start hitting again. Everything had to go his way, if someone did something that wasn’t how he thought it should go they would get yelled at and, most of the time, hit while he was yelling.

And their was never a nice word to say, never a hug or an ‘I love you’. Nick had come to accept these things about life. No one loves, no one cares, and no one is truly kind. Hadn’t his father, grandparents, and Michael taught him that lesson well? Yet, he still has hope because his mother had been kind to him.

Sighing softly he puts on a pleasant face and walks back into Michael’s room. The shower is in Michael’s room. Nick groans aloud when he hears the sound of water falling in the bathroom. The door is open a crack, allowing sound to travel better. Nick starts to sit down on the bed but instead tosses his clothes on the bed and makes towards the bathroom.

“Hell with it!”

He’s getting a shower before it gets too late, Michael will just have to deal with sharing. Michael is more than happy to share. Even with the water pouring down on him he hears the bathroom door open and turns to see Nick, still naked, walk into the room.
Michael stops the water and pulls the curtain back. He’s hoping for the best, that Nick will want to join him and that he doesn’t have a complaint.

“I hope there is room for two in there.”

It’s all Michael can do not to smile, he doesn’t think it would really be appropriate at the moment. He merely gestures to the abnormally large tub.

“More than. Would you like to join me?”

Nick’s breath catches for a moment at the heated look of desire in Michael’s eyes. He had initially come in just for a shower, but the longer he stands there watching Michael, the less he wants to shower.

“Yes…”

Nick’s voice is huskier than normal as he walks over and climbs into the tub. He can feel his own desire rising to match Michael’s. Michael allows himself a grin as he closes the curtain and turns the water back on, Nick standing between him and the shower head. His grin isn’t one of humor, it’s more the grin a predator gets when it’s prey has no where to go.

Nick shivers in response to the sight of Michael’s grin, his facial expression, understanding well what it means.

“Here, let me help you wash.”

Michael picks up a sponge from the side of the tub, then grabs a bottle and squirts some of the soap in it onto the sponge. He starts to scrub Nick’s chest and around his neck, giving attention to his arms, as well. Michael moves down, scrubbing each leg until white suds cover them completely.

He moves the sponge along Nick’s stomach, coming down an inch further with each pass. When he gets low enough that the sponge is touching the dark hairs between Nick’s legs he moves it around in a circle, never quite touching what Nick wants him to touch.
The anticipation in Nick builds with every passing moment until it’s almost painful. Then Michael decides to end it all when he runs the sponge along Nick’s shaft. Nick’s entire body shudders at the contact, which only makes Michael’s grin broader.

Satisfied that the front of his body is clean, Michael tells Nick to turn around and he starts to scrub his back. Nick spies the bottle of soap on the side of the tub and picks it up, not moving too much. The bottle is written in a strange language and when Nick opens it and smells, it isn’t strawberries.

“It’s not strawberry?”

Michael leans against the back of Nick’s body, his erection touching Nick’s well soaped ass.

“Why would it be?”

Nick turns his head a little to look at Michael, “You just seem to like it a lot.”

“I might like strawberries, but I’m not a woman. I use very manly soap, thank you very much! That’s suppose to be scentless,
actually.”

“Hmm,” Nick puts the bottle back down, smiling inside. But when Michael slips his cock into Nick’s hole, both equally lubricated with soap. all thoughts and humor disappear. Michael’s hand moves down Nick’s chest as he leans into Michael, his hand finding Nick’s erection.

Michael moves himself completely inside Nick, then pulls out until he’s barely in and thrusts in. He builds up a rhythm that’s almost rough as his hand moves against Nick’s cock. Nick isn’t sure which way he should move, forward and more into Michael’s hand, or backwards to make Michael move hard, faster.

He decides on neither and merely leans his head back, against Michael’s chest.

“More, please… Need more.”

And Michael gives him more, his motions rough almost to the point of being painful. Michael kisses Nick’s exposed neck, nipping at it gently. Nick comes a moment before Michael does. Michael bites down hard on Nicks neck as his body convulses.

They stand there for a moment, leaning against the wall for support. When they can once again breath normally Michael pulls out of Nick and takes a step back.

“Now we really do need to wash up. Still have to tell Athan he has to leave.”

Nick pushes away from the wall to stand on his own.

“He doesn’t have to leave, he just can’t touch you.”

Michael chuckles, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Nick’s face.

“Believe me, ceylo, telling Athan he cannot ‘touch’ is the same as telling him he must leave. He is one of my people, but there are things about him that even I do not know.”

This makes Nick curious. All of Michael’s people he had seen were dark complexioned, with the exception of the old man who’s dark hair had turned to white.

“He is one of yours?”

“Yes. His is a very complicated story, none of it too pleasant. I will not speak of it while he is on the same planet. He will hear of it and it will take him back. You do not want to see him like that.”

Nick nods his head, again accepting Michael’s answer, but knowing that he will soon have to ask Michael to tell him about everything, to speak truthfully. Michael reaches over and turns the water back on and they quickly wash up. Michael had been nearly finished when Nick had joined him, but after their little activity he had to wash up again.

When they are done washing they climb out of the tub and towel each other off, careful not to start anything that they don’t have time for, at the moment at least.

The bite mark from Michael stands out on Nick’s neck but the sight of it makes him smile. Before last night it would of made him mad, he would of thought Michael marking him and felt like little more than a possession. But with the knowledge that he’s at least half way incharge, it is nice to have the mark. Besides, as Michael had been washing up, Nick had noticed his neck, and on down his shoulders, are marked. Nick had gone a little overboard during the night.

As Nick dresses he mentally steels himself for what he has to do now. Talking to Athan for the first time, and telling him he cannot touch Michael, or even look at him, isn’t something he’s looking forward to. But, he doesn’t want Athan touching Michael so he will do it.

So far Nick hasn’t found anyone that he likes touching Michael, with the exception of Jason and Norris. It seems that Michael is of the same opinion. Only, Michael hasn’t found someone he *doesn’t* want touching Nick.

“Ready?”

Nick makes a face and rubs the back of his neck.

\"Not really, but I like seeing him touch you even less.\"

Michael smiles softly and draws Nick close, “I love seeing you so jealous, I really do.”

He plants a soft kiss on Nick’s lips, then pulls away and starts walking towards the door that will take them out of the room, away from the wonderful feeling of belonging, of peace, that has existed since the completion of the zorey ceremony.

Nick sighs and follows after Michael, once again putting a pleasant look on his face. He doesn’t plan on going up to Athan with fear, or anger, in him. The latter would come later, if Athan gives him reason, but his fear is reserved for only Michael. He just doesn’t have enough in him to fear anyone else.


**
I sat down with the intention of only having the first couple paragraphs for Michael and Nick, giving the rest to Jason and Norris, but it didn\'t turn out that way. Not that I minded, seeing how Michael and Nick interact after their first night together as a *married* couple was just as interesting for me as I hope it was for everyone else.
Now, for those of you who like Jason, and might like Norris, the next chapter will mostly be about them and finally getting to see each other after being seperated a month. *crosses fingers* At least I hope so! *lol*