The Calm After The Storm
Title: The Calm After The Storm
Author: Diane
Pairing: Nathan/Haley
Rating: Mature Rated
Disclaimer: I don’t own a thing!
Spoilers/Warnings: Episode tag to 1x20 ‘What Is And What Should Never Be’ following on from the final NH scene. While it’s not a sequel to my fic ‘Moving Forward’, it sort of follows the theory used in it that NH’s relationship has progressed a little further forward than what we witnessed on the show. Contain scenes and language of a sexual nature.
Summary: The smile he gave her warmed her from the tip of her toes to the top of her head and she was sure she must be grinning like a crazy girl.
Author’s Note: This has been written especially to celebrate the 700th NH Romantics thread over on the OTH FanForum board. A big thank you goes to Hana who gave me the suggestion for this particular story as well as to the girls on my LJ Friends list who voted in the recent poll I put up. I’m sorry this isn’t Adult Rated which was the winning rating but, for some reason, I find myself unable to write anything smutty for S1 NH. I promise something smutty will follow very soon though. ;)
“God, I’m exhausted!” Haley exclaimed as she collapsed onto the couch and sank into its soft cushions. “And you must be feeling it even more given that you worked a full shift today.”
Nathan smiled at his girlfriend. “I’m fine, Hales. Believe me, Whitey’s practices are a helluva lot tougher than a shift at Hot ‘n’ Twisted,” he said, chuckling.
She returned his smile but knew he was only saying that so she wouldn’t feel worse than she did already. The party tonight was supposed to be a quiet affair, well as quiet as it could be when Tim Smith was involved. But she couldn’t blame Tim for tonight’s disaster. She had no idea who half the people that showed up were and then when Brooke showed up… Well things had definitely taken an interesting turn. Of course there was then the catfight between Peyton and Nikki, not to mention the final reveal concerning Luke’s latest conquest. Oh yes, and the police arriving and arresting Nathan. The sigh she released as all these thoughts ran through her mind was a heavy one.
“What’s that sigh for?” Nathan asked as he took a seat beside her on the couch and pulling her legs across his lap, he began rubbing the soles of her bare feet.
A tiny moan escaped her lips at the feel of him massaging her aching feet and her eyes fluttered shut as she lost herself in the sensations. Remembering he’d just asked her a question, she replied, “I was just thinking about what a mess tonight turned into and I’m not just talking about the state of your apartment. Remind me again why I thought it was a good idea to throw a party?”
Squeezing her little toe, he laughed. “Somehow I don’t think Tim will be planning any more parties here for a while so I think this one had the desired effect.”
“There is that, I suppose. So, does that mean you won’t be crawling through my window anymore?” she asked, opening her eyes and raising one perfectly arched eyebrow.
“I never said that,” he said, giving her that familiar smirk of his.
She yelped in surprise when he suddenly pulled her into his lap and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep her balance. “Why’d you stop rubbing my feet?” she asked, pouting.
“Maybe because I want to rub more than your feet,” he whispered, his mouth right by her ear.
A delicious shiver ran through her at hearing his words and placing her hand on his cheek, she turned his head so she could kiss him. The kiss started off soft and slow but soon picked up the pace and became very heated. Their tongues tangled and fought for dominance until the need for air became an issue they couldn’t ignore any longer and they reluctantly parted.
Haley nuzzled her nose against Nathan’s and smiled shyly at him. His gorgeous blue eyes were watching her intently and she could feel the warm blush on her face. Her eyes closed when he began kissing a path down her neck and her fingernails dug into the soft fabric of his shirt as she tilted her head to one side to give him greater access.
“What time do you need to be home by?” he asked, his breath moist against her skin.
The feel of what his wickedly talented mouth was currently doing was making the ability to think almost impossible and it took several moments before his words finally registered. “I, uh, thought I could stay here…with you,” she said, her voice very quiet.
“Are your parents away again?”
Nodding her head, she replied, “Yeah…they’re visiting Mike and Carolyn.”
“Weren’t they just there a few weeks ago?” Nathan’s hand rubbed up and down Haley’s back in a soothing gesture as he waited for her response.
“Uh huh. They wanted to see the baby again.” Seeing the look of concern on her boyfriend’s face, she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, Nathan. It’s only natural that they’d want to see their latest grandchild.”
“I get that, Hales, but you’re their child, too so--”
“So would you prefer for them to be in town and for me to have to go home tonight?” she teased.
“Okay, when you put it like that…”
Haley giggled and leaning into him, she kissed his lips once more. “I love that you care so much about me.”
Nathan ducked his head before looking into the rich chocolate brown of her eyes and saying, “I love you.”
Her heart seemed to skip a beat at hearing him say that and she couldn’t help thinking that it would always be that way. “I love you, too.” The smile he gave her warmed her from the tip of her toes to the top of her head and she was sure she must be grinning like a crazy girl.
Pressing a kiss to her lips, Nathan pulled back and asked, “You ready to turn in or do you want to watch TV or something?”
“I’m ready for bed if you are.”
Easing her off his lap, he stood up and taking her hand in his, he led her towards his bedroom. He loved having her stay over and especially having her be there when he woke up. As much as he loved having his own apartment, it could sometimes feel pretty lonely. Haley helped to make that loneliness disappear.
“Do you need to borrow anything to sleep in?”
Haley shook her head. “No, I brought my overnight bag with me when I came over earlier and I stashed it in your closet,” she told him as she moved to retrieve it.
“I’ll, uh, go and get washed up for bed while you get changed, then. I’ll let you know when I’m coming out just in case you’re not ready ye--”
“Nathan, it’s fine,” she said, laughing. It was cute seeing him so flustered when he was trying hard not to come on too strong. “Just go and get changed.”
“Yes Ma’am,” he said, mock-saluting her before going into the bathroom and closing the door, hearing her laughter behind him.
Inside the bathroom, Nathan quickly stripped out his clothes, leaving on his dark blue boxers and his white undershirt. After using the facilities, washing his face and brushing his teeth, he took a deep breath before slowly opening the door and stepping out. He almost choked on that withheld breath when he saw Haley on her knees on his bed, her back to him as she turned down the covers and plumped up the pillows. However, it wasn’t the position so much that was bothering him but what she was wearing, namely a light blue and white tank top which, due to her stretching forward, had inched up and was displaying the tattoo of his jersey number which she’d recently had etched onto her lower back. He still couldn’t believe she’d done it but the shock had long since worn off. Seeing the indelible ‘23’ on her creamy skin was such an incredible turn-on.
The only other item of clothing she had on was a pair of matching blue and white boxer shorts which, again thanks to her stretching, were clinging to her like a second skin. Looking down at himself, he made sure his T-shirt was covering his boxers and hopefully hiding the erection that had sprung to life the moment he’d opened his bathroom door.
Coughing to clear his throat and to notify her of his presence, he stood there frozen to the spot. “Uh…the bathroom’s free.” Could he sound any more lame, he mentally berated himself.
Climbing off the bed, Haley adjusted her clothing before grabbing her wash-bag and passing by him with a smile as she headed into the room he had just vacated. He stood there for another moment before finally moving and getting into his side of the bed. His eyes felt so heavy and he desperately wanted to close them and submit to the pull of sleep. He wasn’t used to putting in a full day’s work and his body felt so damn tired. It was almost a different kind of tired to what he felt after Whitey had put him and the rest of the team through their paces at practice.
“You’re not falling asleep on me, are you?” Haley asked when she entered the room several minutes later to find Nathan lying on his back with his eyes closed.
“I’m just resting my eyes,” he told her, turning his head to the side and smirking at her. “You don’t think I’d fall asleep when I get to spend the whole night with you, do you? Especially when you’re wearing that to bed.”
Blushing, she lowered her head and let her hair form a curtain around her face. “Nathan…”
“What? You look hot and that tattoo of my jersey number? Major turn-on, Hales.”
Haley’s already flushed skin turned even more pink and she made quick work of climbing into bed beside him. Snuggling into his side, she buried her face against his neck and took long, deep breaths to try and calm down her racing heart. “Are you going to sleep in your T-shirt?”
“Not if you don’t want me to,” he told her.
“I don’t want you to,” she whispered and shifted away from him so he could remove the item of clothing which he did a second later, throwing it over towards the chair in the corner.
“Okay, your turn,” he teased a second later when she cuddled into him. He bit his lip when she suddenly sprang up into a sitting position and he was sure she was going to jump out of bed and leave when she suddenly surprised him by placing her hands on the hem of her tank top and slowly began inching it upwards.
“H-Hales, I was just kidding… You don’t have to--”
“I want to,” she interrupted. “It’s not like you haven’t, you know, seen them already…”
His mouth felt so dry and he swallowed to try and create some moisture. “Yeah, but… You weren’t totally topless and I just…I don’t want to push you into anything.”
Haley sighed loudly as she shifted and turned so she could look at him better. “You’re not, Nathan. I really wish you’d stop treating me like some…some porcelain doll that’s about to shatter into a million pieces. I’m a big girl and while I’m still not ready to take that final step, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to…” her voice trailed off and she felt her face grow hot.
“Want to what?” Nathan prompted a moment later, his palm cupping the side of her face as his thumb stroked along her cheekbone.
“It doesn’t mean I don’t want to do other things,” she finally said. Opening her mouth to say something else, the words were swallowed by Nathan as he fused his lips with hers and kissed her hard, sucking her tongue into his mouth.
Her arms wrapped tightly around him and she sighed into his mouth when he rolled her over onto her back and he covered her body with his. She loved the feel of him pressing her down into the mattress beneath her, his hands stroking over every available part of her that was within his reach and she did likewise. Her hands explored the smooth, warm skin of his back and shoulders, moving up so her fingers could play with the short hair at the nape of his neck while she ran her toes along the back of his calves. When she felt his large hands slip beneath the hem of her tank top and cup her bare breast, his thumb circling the sensitive little nub at its peak, she moaned loudly and kissing a path from his lips to his ear, she whispered into his ear, “Take it off.”
“Hales--”
“Please, Nathan.”
Pushing himself up onto his forearms, he looked down into her face and saw the trusting expression upon her face. He lowered his head and kissed her mouth hotly before placing his fingers on the hem to join hers and together they slowly raised the fabric. They only broke the kiss so that they could get it up and over her head and immediately rejoined when it was clear, having been thrown over the side of the bed.
They both moaned and sighed at the feeling of their bare chests pressed together for the first time and, if possible, their kisses became hotter and more visceral as a result. Tongues tangled wetly, exploring each and every crevice as hands wandered all over one another’s bodies. Fingertips and fingernails dug into skin as sensations escalated, making the young couple writhing together on the bed incoherent with a mixture of love and lust.
“You’re so beautiful,” Nathan told her as he took a moment to breathe in some air before dipping down to kiss her again.
“So are you,” Haley told him, blushing and she blushed even more when she saw him push himself up and look to see how far down her chest the blush went.
Smirking at her, he said, “I think you mean handsome.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I mean, yeah, you are handsome but you’re also beautiful. Inside and out.”
It was Nathan’s turn to go red and he looked away from her. “You’re the first person to ever say that to me,” he confessed.
Her heart broke at hearing that and she pulled him back down into her arms and held him tightly to her. “I love you so much,” she said into his hair as her fingers ran through it.
“I love you, too,” he mumbled and she knew he was about to fall asleep. Somehow, she managed to move them so that he was once more lying on his back and she was just about to root around on the floor for her top when he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.”
“Okay,” she said quietly and reaching out her hand to the nightstand, she switched off the lamp, throwing the room into darkness save for the moonlight shining in through the slats of the window-blinds.
They shared one final goodnight kiss before Haley again snuggled into Nathan’s side, her head resting on his chest while his arm wrapped around her waist underneath the covers. All the baby steps they were taking in the physical side of their relationship were helping her feel so comfortable with him that she knew there was a strong possibility that she would change her mind about waiting until she was married before losing her virginity.
For now though, the baby steps were more than enough to be going on with and she couldn’t wait to see what the next step was going to be. A tiny smile gracing her lips, she only hoped Nathan would be wide awake so they could both enjoy it to its full advantage. Pressing a gentle kiss against his chest, she let the steady rhythm of his heart lull her to sleep.
Fin