Nick
Nick woke up feeling disoriented, his heart racing as his gaze darted around the unfamiliar room. His body felt strange—like tiny ants crawling across his skin, every nerve hypersensitive and on edge. The large bed beneath him was luxurious, far too big to be his own. This wasn't his room.
Fragments of the previous day began piecing themselves together.
Dan.
Dan had brought him here after... the sting. The fucking alien had stung him with his fucking alien sting. He said it was an accident. Nick didn't believe it. He had to have did it intentionally.
Nick lifted his palm, inspecting the spot where the avath had pierced his skin. To his surprise, there was nothing—no redness, no mark. Curious, he brought his hand to his nose and inhaled. A faint floral scent with a hint of spice lingered there, oddly nostalgic even though he had never smelled it before.
As the memories of last night fully surfaced, Nick felt his cheeks flush. Dan had taken him out, and despite how disastrously it ended, the outing itself had been...nice. For a while, it was perfect. Until it wasn't.
Nick fell back on the plush bed and smelled the pillow Dan must sleep in. It smelled like his palm, of deep spices and rich flowers Nick couldn't quite place. Nick looked around the mostly empty room. A single coffee table and a chair sat before a glass wall overlooking a deep blue sky with clouds floating around. As someone who had lived his whole life on the ground level of New Earth, inside the slums of a community center far from the rich cities, watching the sky filled with artificial Earth clouds was a luxury. Nick sat there for a few minutes, utterly mesmerized by the sight. He wondered if Dan appreciated the view as much as Nick. The man found everything human-related so futile. Even this amazing apartment with this amazing view would be nothing to him.
He wondered where Dan was. The thought of facing him again pulled him out of his stupor quickly. He got down from the bed and towards the door.
He tested the door's locking mechanism, and when it opened on its own, he ran out of Dan's apartment like his ass was on fire.
When he came back inside the safety of his room he checked the clock and saw it was 6 AM. He usually slept until right in the morning, so he decided to get two more hours of sleep before going out. But sleep refused to come. He felt unusually energetic, which was weird considering he almost died yesterday. Energetic should be the last thing he should be feeling.
He decided he needed to take a long shower to get rid of the weird smell from his body.
Nick stood under the warm water, eyes close, letting himself relax when suddenly his mind filled up with images of hands, several hands all caressing over his body. His forehead, his cheeks, his lips, and other parts of his body. And it almost felt real. Like someone was actually him.
He touched his stomach tentatively and felt it flutter. His cock grew thick with need. Nick looked down in confusion, not sure why this was happening; he wasn't even thinking anything sexual. He got out of the shower before his lost his mind.
He dressed up, deciding not to dwell on it for long. He decided he would go to the lab early and catch up on some pending work from yesterday.
When he walked into Dr. Desai's office, he found Dan standing by her desk, looking nervous.
Nick cleared his throat to let his presence known.
Dan snapped his head towards Nick's direction, his shoulders slumping in relief.
"Why did you leave without telling me?" Dan asked.
"I wasn't aware that I wasn't allowed to leave without permission," Nick said, not sure where this bravery came from.
Dan stepped closer, his eyes roaming Nick's face, like he was looking for something. "It's not about permission," he said, voice laced with frustration. "You were stung by my Avath. I needed to make sure you were okay. No human in the history of Grosh has ever been stung by a Grosh. So spare me for being concerned, Nick."
"You almost killed me. The least you can do is be nice to me," Nick snapped, biting his tongue to refrain from saying something more. Was the avath venom supposed to act like a truth serum?
"I am being nice to you. If I weren't, I would have tied you down to my bed."
"Excuse me!"
"Ahh… I think we can agree that it was an accident and that Dan didn't mean any harm by it. Let's move past it," Dr. Desai said, stepping between the two.
Why was Nick feeling usually angry? This wasn't like him.
"If I did what he did, I'd be out of the NEAE in the blink of an eye," Nick said turning to Dr Desai."Have you heard the way he talks? Like he owns the place! He's a guest. For such an advanced species, shouldn't he know how to act toward his host?"
"Nick," Dr. Desai said firmly. "I told you about him before you started working here. So where is this coming from?"
"Let it be, Ira. This is all part of the process," Dan said, his jaw clenched.
"Part of what process?" Nick asked, glaring at Dan.
Dr. Desai looked torn, glancing between the two of them like something was about to snap at any moment.
"Come this way. I have some work for you," Dr Desai said, pulling Nick towards the lab. Nick glared at Dan one last time before moving to the lab, where Dr Desai gave him some paperwork to sort through.
"Accident, my foot," Nick muttered to himself, as he slammed the files in order, putting his frustration on them.
Nick sniffed the air. There was that smell again. Nick wondered what kind of Aline cologne Dan wore. The scent was seriously addicting. It made Nick want to bury his nose wherever the source was. The only thing that stopped him was that the source was a tall, muscular alien male who tried to kill him yesterday.
"By the way, An accidental kill is still a kill," Nick yelled.
"Then why are you not dead yet?" The sound came right next to Nick's ear.
He almost jumped like a little girl. "How the fuck did you move without making a sound? You are like thousand pounds."
"I have my ways," Dan shrugged, winking at the end.
Nick's toes curled at the gensture. Dan had to be doing something to him. Something that Nick wasn't sure how to describe.
"Ira leaves us for a second," Dan said without turning to Dr Desai.
"No, she is not going to…" Nick started to protest, following Dr Desai as she started to leave.
"Stop," Dan said, taking his hand and stopping him. "Look at me."
Nick craned his neck, looking up into Dan's glowing eyes, their eerie luminescence both captivating and unnerving. Dan was standing so close that every breath Nick took was filled with that intoxicating scent—a mix of something primal and dangerously alluring. It clung to him, clouding his thoughts and making him question whether Dan was deliberately trying to enchant him or if his body was betraying him. Nick couldn't shake the suspicion that those glowing eyes, paired with that maddeningly addictive scent, were designed to hypnotize him, weaken his defenses, and make him an easy target.
His gaze flicked downward, landing on Dan's lips. They looked fuller today, their natural curve seeming almost too perfect, too tempting. A lump formed in Nick's throat as his eyes drifted lower, lingering on the thick column of Dan's neck. When Dan swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbed visibly, drawing Nick's focus like a moth to a flame. His resolve to remain professional—to keep some semblance of distance—was crumbling with every passing second, even though he clung desperately to it.
Dan's hand lifted, his knuckles brushing gently against Nick's cheek. The touch was electric, sending shivers racing down Nick's spine. It was soft, almost reverent, and entirely at odds with the storm of conflicting emotions building within him.
"Every time I look at you, I find you more irresistible," Dan said, his voice a low rumble that sent heat pooling in Nick's stomach.
Nick's breath hitched, his cheeks flushing, but he couldn't move or speak. He felt tethered on the edge of danger yet inexplicably drawn toward it.
Dan tilted his head, and Nick was very aware of what was going to happen next. He should have stepped away, and he should have asked Dan to stop, but he couldn't. He stood there, almost drawn to him, anticipating his lips.
When Dan's foreign lips met his, a jolt of electricity surged through Nick's body, igniting something primal and uncontainable within him. His hand instinctively pressed against Dan's chest, as though to push him away, but instead, it curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, craving the contact. A soft moan escaped Nick's lips before he even realized, swallowed by Dan's deep, answering groan that reverberated through their joined bodies.
Dan's taste was intoxicating—sweet, with an edge of something raw and otherworldly—and Nick couldn't get enough. Heat coursed through him, making his skin feel hypersensitive, every nerve ending alive with sensation. He felt pinpricks across his body, a silent plea for more of Dan's touch, for those rough hands to claim him, to strip away every barrier until he was laid bare. A part of him—raw, unguarded—wanted to surrender completely, to let Dan take control, to do whatever he pleased.
Nick melted into Dan's broad embrace, inhaling his unique, heady musk, the scent wrapping around him like a drug. He didn't even notice the way his hips had started moving, grinding against Dan in a desperate rhythm or the way his body sought him out as though trying to climb him. It wasn't until Dan's firm hands gripped his waist, steadying his writhing form, that Nick became aware of just how deeply his need had overtaken him.
Why did a simple kiss feel so good? Nick's mind raced even as his body betrayed him, every nerve ignited by the lingering press of Dan's lips. He needed to stop, to regain control, to come to his senses. Yet the pull toward Dan was relentless, like gravity, dragging him deeper into this moment. The storm brewing inside him mirrored the storm he saw in Dan's glowing eyes—raw, violent, and impossibly consuming. He wanted more, needed more, even though he knew it could destroy everything.
"Nick," Dan panted, his breath hot and ragged, as he held Nick away from his body, the distance between them searing. "We need to stop before I do something I regret."
Nick froze the words like a bucket of cold water on the inferno roaring inside him. He staggered back, finally snapping to his senses. What was he doing? This was a disaster, a complete and utter disaster. Shame clawed at him, twisting his stomach into knots.
"I am so sorry," Nick stammered, his voice cracking with panic. "I didn't... That was..." Words failed him. He knew—knew—that this time, no excuse would be good enough. There was no salvaging this. He could almost hear the NEAE committee now, their cold verdict ringing in his ears: Expelled. Dan had the perfect reason to ruin him—not just his internship but his entire career. Fraternizing with an alien, being unprofessional, inappropriate… he was done for.
"Hey, look at me," Dan said softly, his hand reaching out to lift Nick's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. The glow in Dan's gaze was no longer sharp or predatory but oddly tender, grounding Nick even as his chest heaved with uncertainty. "You didn't do anything wrong. I initiated it."
Nick frowned, his heart hammering in confusion. Why was Dan being so… kind?
"Is this a test?" Nick blurted, his voice a whisper laden with doubt and mistrust.
Dan blinked, his expression caught between bewilderment and exasperation. "Is that what you think this is? A test?" His hands slid to frame Nick's face, the warmth of his palms making Nick's resolve waver. Dan's gaze bore into his, intense and unyielding. "Stop overthinking. I'm not trying to kill you or take your job away. This isn't some fucking test. If it isn't apparent yet, I like you, Nick."
Nick's breath hitched, his throat tightening. "Are you playing a cruel joke on me?" he asked, his voice trembling. His defenses crumbled under the weight of Dan's touch, his body betraying him yet again with the same overwhelming need that had consumed him earlier.
Dan's jaw tightened, frustration bleeding into his tone. "For fuck's sake, Nick!" His voice dropped, low and heavy with something between anger and desperation. "You're my—"
The sharp sound of someone clearing their throat cut through the tension like a blade.
"Dan," came Dr. Desai's calm yet firm voice from the doorway. "Can I have a word with you for a moment?"
Dan exhaled harshly, his jaw clenching as he gave Nick a lingering, almost hungry look. His fingers tightened against Nick's jawline for a fleeting moment as if reluctant to let go before he pulled back entirely.
"We will talk about this later," Dan murmured, his voice low and tender, before turning to follow Dr. Desai out of the room.
As the door shut behind them, Nick stood there, his chest heaving, his lips tingling, his mind reeling. The storm inside him hadn't abated—it was only just beginning.
***
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