Pairing: Brian and Nick
Words: pinnacle; Thursday's child; crinkly; nuzzle


In the end, it was a week and a half before Brian officially
invited him out to see the new baby.

Nick was patient about it, mostly because he had other things he
had to do in the meantime that kept him busy.  Interviews.  Events. 
Lawyers, which wasn't really something he wanted to have anything
to do with, but the others had gotten him involved in the lawsuit,
and it was very weird being on both sides of it at once, with his
solo project.  He could kill Kevin for this, but then, it wasn't
Kevin, it was all of them, and he just wished they'd *asked* him
about it.

He flew out to find Brian's house full of friends and relatives. 
The drive was packed with cars, and the door was answered by a
cousin who wasn't Kevin, but who Nick vaguely recognized as some
bastard merger of the two.  Poor guy.

"Is Brian home?" Nick asked.

"Yeah."  The guy let Nick in, and Nick went looking.  Leighanne was
holding court in the living room, with Baylee in her arms.  The
baby was sleeping and being oohed and ahhed over.

He found Brian eventually in the nursery, looking for something in
a closet.

"Hey, Bri," he said casually.

"Nick!" Brian straightened up.  "Good to see you.  I was just
looking for a rattle.  I know someone gave us one, but I can't find
it anywhere."

"I saw Baylee in the living room.  I think he's sleeping."

Brian gave him a small smile that flashed quickly across his
features.  "Not for long.  He sleeps for a little bit, then he's
awake again and hard to get back to sleep.  Trust me, I need to
find this rattle."

Nick shrugged.  "Okay."  He went over to the dresser and started
opening drawers, looking.  "Any idea where it is?"

"Nope.  If I did, I wouldn't be looking for it."

The dresser had neatly folded cloth diapers, and a wide assortment
of baby clothes, but no rattles.  Brian went from the closet to the
bookshelf and Nick, in a moment of inspiration, went for the crib.

Hidden underneath a fold of blanket was a rattle.

Nick picked it up and shook it.

"Thank the Lord," Brian said and took it away from Nick, sticking
it in his pocket.  "I've been searching for that for a half hour. 
And Baylee just will not sleep without that."

"Uh-huh."

"Did you get a chance to meet him yet?  Isn't he just incredible?"

"No.  Not really.  I just came in here and found you."

"You have got to meet him.  You'll love him.  I'm sure he'll love
his uncle Nick right back.  Babies know who loves them."

Behind him, Nick rolled his eyes.

Back in the living room, Brian plunged fearlessly into the crowd of
women and liberated his son from the doting circle of femininity. 
He came back, the baby slumped against his shoulder, and went over
to Nick, a few of the women trailing behind to coo at how sweet
they looked together.

They did, Nick admitted privately, look sorta right together. 
Happy.  Serene, even, like this was the pinnacle of human
existence, the ultimate in happiness.  Brian had always been good
at taking care of people.  At taking care of Nick, and later, of
Aaron.  He was made to be a dad.

Nick kinda hoped he never had to find out what kind of father *he*
would make.

"Here," Brian said.  He had his hands around the baby and was
holding him out to Nick, like he didn't know that Nick was bad with
this kind of thing.

The baby was put into his hands, and Nick cradled him close,
because he didn't know any other way to do it, scared he might hurt
him or drop him.  He was so small and so floppy and fragile.

Brian beamed at him, eyes crinkly.  "Isn't it wonderful?  Holding
him, I mean?  We're calling it baby therapy.  When he nuzzles
against you, it's just like everything is right with the world
because he loves you and you love him, and this is what life is all
about.  It's the best feeling ever."

Baylee was breathing quietly against his shoulder.  Nick closed his
eyes and breathed along with him.  Brian was right.  It was nice. 
Very nice.  He just wished Brian had felt something like this with
him.

When he opened his eyes again, Brian was smiling happily at him and
Nick's heart sank because he knew who Brian was really smiling at. 
Heaven and hell and this was a little bit of both.  'There but for
the grace of God go I', except there was no grace for Nick, all the
grace was for the newborn child and that made sense.  Too much
sense really.

"What day of the week were you born on?" Nick asked.

"Thursday," Brian said, puzzled.  "Why?"

Nick nodded.  "I was thinking of that nursery rhyme.  Y'know, the
one that goes, 'Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is
full of grace'.  You called me on Tuesday, so he's full of grace."

Brian's eyes lit up.  "Full of grace.  That's nice.  I hadn't
thought about it.  I always hated being Thursday's child, because
of the part about having far to go."

"I don't think you have far to go," Nick said, handing Baylee back
reluctantly.  "I think you've made it.  You're already there. 
Here.  Whichever."

Brian smiled at him again, his son in his arms.  He was happy. 
Nick couldn't begrudge him that.  He smiled back until the horde of
women engulfed Brian and bore him away.

He was happy for Brian, he really was.

He just wished he'd been born on some day other than Monday.