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Nick wakes up, an arm wrapped around his waist, enveloping him in warmth. He blinks, looking down first at his fingers - entwined with another's, and then glances around the darkened room. It takes him a moment to recognize where he's at, and he sighs.
Monroe's. Specifically, Monroe's bed. And it goes without saying that it must be Monroe's breath he feels on his neck.
Turning slightly, he leans against the arm that tries to snuggle him closer until he can see Monroe's face. And he's not sure if he should be petrified, or glad that at least one of them had the sense to finally say something to the other.
He watches Monroe sleep as the vague memories of the night before flood back into his consciousness. With a sigh, Monroe's eyes flutter open. Nick dares a smile, but Monroe just frowns, pulling Nick closer to him, saying, "Go back to sleep."
"Umm," Nick starts, pausing until Monroe opens his eyes again. "Did we..." he starts, leaving the unasked question hanging there between them.
Monroe lets go of Nick, but only to rub his face. He leans up, resting his head on one hand while the other goes back to Nick's arm, gently touching the skin. "No," Monroe finally says. "You were in absolutely no shape, know what I mean?"
"Good," Nick manages.
Removing his hand almost instantly from Nick's side, Monroe manages a grimace before he turns onto his back. With his hands over his face, he just mutters a muffled, "Get out," the pain in his voice quite evident.
"No, no, no," Nick says. "I mean-" He waits, but Monroe doesn't turn back, or even look at him. Nick grabs Monroe's wrist and pulls it away, waiting until Monroe glances down at him with his free eye. "I mean good, because if we did do something, I'd want to remember it."
It takes a few seconds, but Monroe finally pulls his remaining hand away from his face, and he gives Nick a cautious look.
Nick takes advantage of Monroe's supine position and leans over, putting a hand on Monroe's chest and then resting his chin on it, gazing into Monroe's eyes. "Last thing I remember is going to the spice shop. You wanna fill me in on what happened between then and, well, now?" he asks with a wink.
Sighing again, Monroe says, "Well you came into the shop, where I was helping Rosalee mix up something for a demanding hexenbiest that'd come in earlier. We were busy, and you were looking around and, ungraceful Grimm that you are, you knocked over two jars - nepeta cataria and borago officinalis. And then," he says, then shrugs, "well..." letting his voice trail off.
"Well?" Nick questions.
"Well," Monroe says, "You... Well, you couldn't keep your hands off of me." Monroe puts his hands on his pillow, resting his head on his palms. "Rosalle said that the combination of the two created a sort of hybrid love/courage potion. She said that... Well, she wasn't sure if your new amorous intentions were really real, or because of the combination."
Monroe glances down into Nick's eyes, an uncertain look on his face. "Well?"
Leaning up, Nick ghosts his lips against Monroe's, lingering slightly until Monroe reaches down and puts a hand against Nick's cheek, Nick leaning into it gently as he again puts his chin on his hand. "It's real," he quietly says. "I just..." Sighing, he adds, "I never wanted to hurt our friendship."
Nodding, and with a cautiously optimistic look on his face, Monroe blows out a quiet laugh and says, "I really don't think you could ever hurt our friendship, Nick. Unless, you know, you - like - cut off my head and put it on a spike outside my house."
"Only if you make me eat that nasty cauliflower and brussel sprout stew again," Nick says.
"Good," Monroe says, then leans down and claims a kiss. "Now go back to sleep," he adds, turning back to his side and throwing his arm around Nick's waist, Nick turning and snuggling back into Monroe's warmth.
Closing his eyes, but knowing sleep won't come anytime soon, Nick says, "'night, Monroe," and squeezes the long, delicate fingers that lace with his own.
"'night," Monroe manages. And the last thing Nick remembers is a kiss on his neck chasing him into slumber.