AUTHOR'S NOTES :

I first posted this fanfic on deviantArt back in June 2009. But for 10 years it has remained in a state of limbo, shamefully unfinished! Yes that's right. I am the MASTER of procrastination! *Hides head in bag* But now, a decade later, I'm in the process of remastering all the chapters. There are 21 more chapters to remaster, so it might take awhile. Although some chapters may remain much the same as when I first posted them (not sure yet).

** No ending yet, but I'm working on it!

** This fic focuses primarily on Rod, Nicky & Ricky.

** VERY Slow Burn!

=== Focuses mainly on Rod & Nicky's life together, as a 'Bert & Ernie' style odd couple! =)

=== Includes themes of domestic angst, drama, fluff, hurt/comfort, humor, squabbling, devotion & romance!

=== As well as, childhood trauma-induced sexual repression & sexual obliviousness.

=== With lots of flashbacks & dream sequences thrown in, as they're just so much fun to write!

=== But yes, the main plot moves incredibly slowly I'm afraid! =/

** I've tried to ensure this fic is written in American English, with US slang & terminology etc to fit the theme.

=== Thus, hopefully it's never noticeable. But alas, I'm British. So sorry for any slip-ups!

Story Summery

Rod is hopelessly in love with Nicky & confused about Ricky. Nicky knows he wants Rod to be happy, but is confused about pretty much everything else. And Ricky's motives surprise everyone!

** Modification date in the format (Year-Month-Day)

** Modification date (2020-02-04)

Chapter One - Icky Situation

Nicky wishes Rod would lighten up & gets lonely on his own. While Rod struggles to come to terms with his situation.

01 - ICKY SITUATION

- IN ROD'S APARTMENT -

On his way back to the sofa, Nicky skidded on a carelessly abandoned chip packet, like a clumsy green hippo skating on a banana skin. He chuckled to himself, "Woo-hoo! That was fun!" However, the instant the disheveled dimwit pulled the tab on his soda can, the fizzy pop within erupted. Agitated by the stumble, the nervous bubbly beverage released its wrath, causing a sticky froth to spurt onto a photo of him and his blue workaholic roommate, Rod.

Nicky gasped, as the cola droplets trickled down the image of his best friend's face like rusty tears. "Whoops! Sorry Rod buddy!" He grabbed the frame and propelled his tongue out to slurp up the fleeing soda globs from the cold, rigid glass that encased the picture.

"Jeez, that was a close one!" Nicky brushed his tongue across the photographic Rod one more time for luck, letting the tip linger upon his best buddy's slender smartly dressed body. Maybe his impulse was slightly weird on reflection. But he couldn't let any soda seep into the delicate wooden frame surrounding such a nostalgic image, could he?

"Don't worry Rod buddy! I got your back! My tongue will protect you from soda fizz!" Nicky promised. Still struggling to rouse himself from his typical extended slumber, he yawned deeply, before he tilted his head backward to look at the clock on the kitchen wall behind him. Struggling to make out the numbers from the couch, he muttered, "Five to… Um, twelve, I think? Sweet! Just enough time to finish breakfast!" He grinned, snatched the crushed and crumpled chip packet from the floor, and tipped the remaining Cheezit dust into his mouth.

"Mmm... Delish!" Nicky licked his lips and surrounding stubble. "Cheesy, with a zing of pineapple! Such a genius combo! Just like me and my buddy Rod! I'm the cheesy genius, must be!" He chuckled at his reflection in the window and pulled a few goofy expressions to keep himself entertained. "And Rod's the zingy one. Yeah, Rod's got a definite zing about him!" He scrunched up the empty packet, and tossed it over the back of the sofa, aiming for the trashcan behind, but missing by several feet!

"Damn it! How could I have missed again?!" Nicky looked around the grubby apartment, at the carpet contaminated with heaps of gooey crumbs, and groaned. "Oh crap! What a dump! How does this always happen?! Rod sure is gonna go crazy again when he gets home!"

Nicky exhaled a long melancholy breath. 'Poor Rod. He's so obsessed with cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, washing, scrubbing, ironing, organizing, sorting. And a whole lotta other words ending in 'ing' too no doubt! Wiping? Wait. No. Not wiping. That sounds wrong somehow.' He frowned slightly and sucked the chocolate paste and chip powder from his green fingers.

The apartment was eerily quiet without Rod about. And a sporadic swoosh of cars zooming past, and a low hum of a tumble dryer was all that disturbed the peace. Still, Nicky felt like he needed a few moments of calm contemplation. Besides, he couldn't seem to find the TV remote anywhere!

Nicky ran a sticky hand through his dark mahogany brown hair. 'Jeez, all Rod ever seems to do around here is clean these days! I swear, if I made a Rod action figure, the little guy wouldn't be complete without a duster! Cuz I never see that busy buddy of mine without a cleaning caddy by his side! And when he's not cleaning, he's down in that fucking laundry room or ironing his tighty-whities! And when he's not doing either of those, he's working from home, sitting at that damned computer analyzing crappy bank charts and whatnot!'

Nicky sighed, 'I sure wish Rod would take a break once in a while, and chill with me like he did in the good old days!' He stared longingly at the photo of him nuzzled by Rod's side, and smiled as his college memories bobbed to the surface of his mind.

The photo had been taken by Mia, one of Nicky's many ex-girlfriends. He barely remembered her now. But he remembered that night. By some miracle, he'd convinced Rod to sneak into a frat party with him. A rare instance to be sure. However, that night, to Nicky's amazement, Rod drunk two cosmopolitans, and performed both the 'Brooklyn Shuffle' and 'The Hustle' under a glitter ball in front of a stunned crowd! The two best friends even danced together for a short while. Well, until Rod realized it had gone 10 pm, and promptly abandoned Nicky to complete his nightly routine.

No matter how flashy or electrifying the party, Rod's dorky desire for schedules and planning always reigned supreme! Nicky shook his head in bemused admiration, as he remembered how Rod used to recite statistical formulas to himself before bed each night.

'Okay, so Rod is always responsible.' Nicky reminded himself. 'But I swear, Rod used to stop, at least sometimes, to have fun. And I know he enjoyed it. Our pillow fights. Our games of checkers. Our little squabbles over silly things. Gee, he could be so cute sometimes. Like how his face lit up when I suggested we watch a movie just the two of us. Or like how his cheeks blushed bright pink when I mucked about with him in our dorm room.' Nicky sighed wistfully. 'I swear, he got so flushed with joy sometimes, I thought he was gonna burst! God, I miss those days. I miss that old Rod.' He thought sadly.

'You've gotta love him though! He's still cute in his own Rod-ish way. So stuck up at times. Yet, soft as a blueberry and sweet as a peach beneath the surface!' A warm fuzzy feeling filled Nicky's heart, and a smile as colorful as an upside-down rainbow graced his lips.

'But I can always tell when he's faking it. And when he's not. And I know….' Nicky sighed heavily again, puffed up his cheeks and tapped them with his hands to make popping sounds. 'I know he's been faking it more than not lately. Which is strange, seeing how I finally got him out of that damn closet he's lived in his whole life and all!'

Nicky practiced his fish impression. 'Suppose it must be work bringing him down.' He glared at Rod's overflowing basket of business suits, ties, and shirts, ready to take down to the laundry room. 'Jesus Christ Rod! How the hell can you work ten to twelve-hour shifts on Wall Street every day! Five days a week. Sometimes six! Only to come home and do nothing but housework 'til it's time to sleep! Then repeat the same cycle indefinitely with no down-time!' He added a bitter sting of resentment, 'With no time for me!'

Nicky exhaled his frustration. 'It's crazy! So crazy. And all that stress! If only he could learn to be more like me! Just relax and not worry 'bout things so much.' He leaned over to blow down a tower of candy wrappers he'd built on Rod's chair earlier and chuckled as the wrappers tumbled onto the carpet like gooey confetti. 'See! Things can be so much fun when you don't worry about making a mess! If only Rod could see that!'

Nicky winced, as sharp pangs rippled through his stomach. Whether the pangs were brought on by his suppressed guilt, or last night's curry, he wasn't sure. But regardless, somewhere deep down inside, Nicky knew that Rod's OCD (obsessive cleaning disorder) was, at least partly, his fault.

An exhilarating surge of adoration swept through Nicky's body, as he gazed with deep-seated affection at the photographic Rod. 'Poor guy. He's lost all his joy.' He grabbed the photo frame again. 'I have to help him get his groove back! I have to cheer him up somehow! I can't stand to see him so glum all the time. But what else can I do? I mean jeez, I already found him a smoking hot dreamboat boyfriend! What more could he want in life?'

Nicky noodled over the question. Though, his online bait had snagged one hell of a gay bae for Rod. And that introducing the two had livened up Rod for a short while. Ricky's effect on Rod had been all too fleeting.

- FLASHBACK (ROD RETURNS HOME FROM HIS DATE WITH RICKY) -

Nicky stood in the center of the living room, bag of nuts in hand, and a scattering of nuts at his feet. He was about to catch another incoming nutty missile in his gaping mouth, when Rod burst into view, and he missed his target.

"Rod!" Nicky whined, but remained unperturbed from his mission.

Rod flinched like a gazelle and spun around to lock the apartment door behind him. Hiding his face from his preoccupied roommate, he wiped away any signs of sadness from his cheek.

"Hey, Rod! Have fun on your date?" Nicky hollered obliviously, his gaze glued to the flying nuts.

Rod mopped up any remaining tears with his soggy sleeve and sniffed. He had tried to stop crying before he got home. And he thought he'd succeeded. But a few more stray tears had somehow escaped. Suffering from post-date blues, he had wandered the streets in a despondent haze. But back in the familiarity of his apartment, Rod slowly began to feel himself again.

"So, did you? Have fun?" Nicky repeated.

Rod sighed. "Um… Well, it was..." He began but trailed off the moment he caught sight of Nicky, the saliva dripping from his cavernous mouth, and the peanuts all over the floor. "Wait, what on Earth are you doing Nicholas?" Rod shrieked as he stared in horror at the state of his carpet.

However, as agitated as his best friend made him feel at times, oddly Rod secretly enjoyed their little squabbles. And he felt his zig reawaken in the presence of Nicky's zag. "Come on! Let's hear it! What excuse are you going to try and fob me off with this time?!" Rod fixed his messy reckless roommate in his sights with a glare of disapproval.

However, Nicky paid no heed to Rod's grumpy scowl. "I'm practicing my peanut catching Rod! Think I'm becoming a pro! So far I've caught five peanuts in my mouth! Four in my hair! And seven down my shirt! Isn't that amazin' buddy?! A new record! You know, I'm even thinkin' about signin' up to perform at the Around The Clock Cafe! I think it could be a great party trick! People could even buy a bag of nuts at the door. Then throw nuts for me to catch! How about that for a show? Don't you think that'd be great? I mean gee, you'd pay to watch me catch your nuts in my mouth, wouldn't you Rod?"

Rod stared at Nicky in complete disbelief. How on Earth did his dopey roommate keep coming up with such preposterous, innuendo-tinged ideas?!

"Nicky! No! No, I would not! And how many times have I told you?! Don't do that in the living room!" Rod squealed as he rushed over and snatched the bag of nuts from his friend's sweaty grip. "You know what, don't do that anywhere for that matter!"

"Huh? Jeez, really Rod? Why not?" Nicky moaned and ruffled his hair to dislodge the MIA peanuts snagged in his unkempt mop.

"Because…" Rod stressed, trying his best not to lose his composure to the swoon-inducing sight of his secret crush swishing around his sexy, albeit decidedly grubby, locks. "Even ignoring the obvious mess! Which I must say is very hard to ignore Nicky! You could choke! And well, I really do have better things to do than rush down to the ER because you've been stupid enough to clog up your esophagus with a peanut again!"

"Aw… But Rod!" Nicky tried in vain to grab the packet of nuts back off his spoilsport roommate. "Why do you always have to be such a party-pooper Rod?! I was just messin' about is all! I wasn't gonna choke this time! I told you, I'm a pro now! Besides, we wouldn't need to go down the ER! Remember! You gave me the Heimlich maneuver. Saved my life. And everythin' was right as rain again!" After a few additional failed grabs for the bag, Nicky gave up and slumped down on the sofa.

"Nicky, I'm only looking out for you. And well, it's not safe! Gulping down nuts whole like that! I thought I'd nearly lost you last time! And I just… Well, I don't want anything bad to happen to you, okay?" Rod could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again, his emotions still running high.

"Huh?" This time Nicky sensed the sadness in his buddy's voice, so scooched around on the sofa to face him. "Gee Rod, I'm sorry buddy. I know you're just tryin' to look out for me and all. But really, I wasn't gonna choke this time, I promise. Most of them didn't even get close to my mouth anyway!" He gestured to the mess at his feet, a school-boy grin flickering across his face. "Anywho, enough about me and my nuts. How was your date with Ricky? What happened? You know, you look way more stressed out than you should for someone who's just had his first romantic dinner date."

"I do?" Rod said as anxiety fizzed ever more feverishly in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah. What happened?"

Rod plucked one of the more trivial reasons for his stressed state from his overcrowded mind. "Well, if you must know, my office rang. Apparently, there's some problem with the Margate account."

"You mean you left your phone on during your date?!" Nicky gasped in disbelief.

"Yes, Nicky! Of course I left my phone on! I have responsibilities! I can't just turn off my phone whenever I feel like it! And I especially can't turn it off when I'm on the verge of securing the deal of a lifetime for one of my major clients! Just because you can leave your phone behind the toilet for days on end without consequence! It doesn't mean that those of us with jobs can do the same!" Rod frowned.

"But surely…" Nicky trailed off, realizing he couldn't win the argument. He didn't even have a clue what the Margate Rod was on about. So how could he argue with him? "Anyway, forget all that! How did the date go?" Nicky beamed, his eyes still innocently awaiting some happier news.

Rod sighed, ignoring his roommate's persistent line of interrogation. "You know what? I think I'm going to run myself a nice hot bubble bath. And after that, it's your turn to have a wash! Look at the state of your hair!" Rod fussed over Nicky, picking the remaining nut fragments out of his shaggy mop.

Nicky ignored Rod's fussing. "But Rod? I want to hear all about your date? I know that you're new to havin' a boyfriend and all. But…"

"Ricky is NOT my boyfriend!" Rod shrieked.

"So you didn't get on?" Nicky couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Look. It was…" Rod sighed. "All right okay. But it was just a date. That's all! Just one date Nicky! That doesn't make him my boyfriend! Anyway, I really don't want to talk about it right now." Rod grabbed some paperwork from his briefcase. "So just drop it, please. I'm tired."

"But…" Nicky paused. Rod looked so exhausted. "Okay, buddy. You have a nice long soak. That always helps me feel better." He smiled. "Look, I was gonna order a pizza. Do you fancy some?"

"Well, let me see... I've just had a huge three-course dinner with Ricky. So, no. I think I'll pass on the pizza." Rod rolled his eyes. "Wait. Nicky, didn't you have pizza last night?"

"Yeah. So?"

Rod shook his head. "You know Nicky, you really should cut down on all the junk food. It's not healthy! It can't be doing your heart any good."

"Yeah, yeah." Nicky grinned and waved as Rod disappeared into the bathroom.

- END OF FLASHBACK -

'Poor Rod.' Nicky thought. 'He has so many worries. And he puts up with so much crap from people.' He paused. 'He puts up with so much crap from me!' Nicky sighed, as his guilty thoughts came into focus. 'Rod is such an awesome friend! My bestest buddy. The bestest buddy I've ever had!' He punched his fist into his hand. 'It's not fair he has all the worries of the world on his skinny blue shoulders! He deserves better from people. Better from me.' Nicky leaned over to gather up the wrappers from the floor.

"Rod works so hard to pay the rent, to keep me fed, to keep this place nice for us! Hell, he spent virtually all last night cleaning up my mess!" Nicky paused for a moment to look around. "And in less than an hour, I've turned it back into a pig-sty!" He slapped his palm onto his forehead. "Wow! What's wrong with me?! Maybe Rod's right! Maybe I am a slob! How on Earth does he put up with me?!" He thought, as he dropped the wrappers in the trashcan. 'Wait, why does he put up with me?'

Nicky scoured the very depths of his mind, searching for an answer. But try as he might, he couldn't explain Rod's perpetual tolerance. 'I guess he just enjoys having someone to mother.' He settled on. But he knew there had to be more to it than that.

'Whatever Rod's reasons… ' Nicky thought, collapsing back onto the couch. 'I'm sure they're beyond me! I mean, Rod has a business brain. He's probably made a pie-chart to analyze the pros and cons of our friendship or some shit.' He paused. 'Huh. I wonder if you could use a real pie to make a pie chart? Hmm.' Nicky pondered. 'That'd make for some yummy statistics! I bet more people would pay attention if math dorks used real pies!' He chuckled at the idea, his mood rapidly rebooting to its default optimistic setting, as he pushed his guilty thoughts back into his subconscious.

"Okay." Nicky said, inhaling deeply. "No more excuses! Time to get busy! Need to straighten up the place before Rod gets home tonight!" He paused. "Wait. No. That's not right! I can't straighten up the place! Rod's not straight. At least not anymore! So that wouldn't do! No. Instead, I need to gay-en up the place!" Nicky, amused by his juvenile word-play, rolled about in a fit of giggles on the sofa. "Heh! Gay-en up the place! Instead of straighten up the place! Classic! I really must run that one by Rod sometime! Sure he'd love it!"

Nicky pondered the term for a minute. 'Huh? I wonder what gay-ening something up would involve? Maybe adding some rainbow decor? Anywho, better get to it!'

But before Nicky could spring into action, the TV flickered on. "What the…" He squidged forward and pulled the remote from under his leg. "Ah-ha! There you are!" He beamed, as he stared at the TV remote and sniggered at the sight of Daffy duck dancing around Bugs Bunny in a bikini on the screen!

"Hmm, well. What the hay? What harm can a couple more minutes of cartoons do? I'll just watch 'til the adverts." Nicky reassured himself. "Then I'll get right to gay-ening up the place!"

- TWO HOURS LATER -

Nicky was finally on his feet, ready to obliterate the wasteland of scrunched up packets, wrappers and soda cans that he had created. When the apartment phone rang.

Nicky slumped over to answer it. "Yellow?"

"Nicky? Hey! It's Ricky."

"Ricky? Oh, sorry, buddy. Rod's not here at the moment. He's at work. But I could take a message? He's usually back by eight-ish. Sometimes earlier, but that's pretty rare these days." Nicky sighed sadly.

"Err… Actually, it's you I was after. I meant to ask you for your number before. But jeez, guess I forgot in all the confusion. You see…"

"Me?!" Nicky said, in shock.

"Um yeah. You busy?"

Nicky looked around the cluttered apartment. "Nope. Not busy at all."

"Cool. Well, keep an open mind. But I've kinda got a proposition for you."

Nicky listened intently, his eyes widening, as Ricky outlined his proposition.

- IN ROD'S WALL STREET OFFICE -

Rod stared vacantly at his computer screen. He was supposed to be checking the Walmart stock prices, but his mind was elsewhere.

It had been nearly a week now since his dramatic confession on Avenue Q. A week since his life had been turned upside down and inside out. But his head was still swimming with a myriad of jumbled emotions.

In the past week, not only had he finally plucked up the courage to out-himself in front of all his friends, which for Rod was trauma enough for a lifetime! But he'd also had the deepest desires of his heart plucked out of tune, by the surreal nature of it all. And now his emotions vibrated erratically, blending together to create a seemingly incomprehensible froth of feelings. And his future was at the mercy of the strange juxtaposition between Ricky and Nicky.

True, deep down Rod was in no doubt with whom his heart resided. But on the surface, the similarities between the two green men baffled his senses. It was as if his heart was the central point on a tug o' war rope between them. His best friend, roommate and lifelong unattainable love, Nicky, naturally, on the winning side. And his one-time blind date, Ricky, barely able to sustain his grip, at the other end.

Still, Rod couldn't deny how eerily alike they were. Well, ignoring the obvious differences in body shape. Clearly Ricky, with his six-pack and well-toned biceps, took care of his physique. Indeed, no doubt Ricky would win hands down, if Rod's suitor were literally chosen by a tug o' war match!

Whereas Nicky, a self-confessed couch-potato addicted to junk food, had never been concerned with health and fitness! Sure Nicky would still tug hard on the rope in an attempt to win the game, as he could get pretty competitive too! But physically he knew Nicky would be no match for Ricky. Rod sighed. He really wanted Nicky to win! 'Why, oh why, do they have to be so similar?!' He despaired.

And the resemblance didn't stop at appearance, as Ricky also sounded, and acted, just like Nicky! The melodic tones in Ricky's voice, mirroring Nicky's otherwise unique, cheerful bouncy inflections.

Rod frowned. On some level, it infuriated him that Ricky had 'stolen' so many of Nicky's quirks. But he knew that was ridiculous. Ricky had stolen nothing. Ricky was just being himself. It wasn't his fault he was so very like Nicky. Was it?

To be fair, even the most stoic of individuals would likely struggle to untangle such an insanely twisted knot of emotions! But Rod, being the hypersensitive, over-analytical guy that he was, found the knot damned near impossible to unravel!

Rod sunk deeper and deeper into his thoughts, losing all track of time, until his computer chimed, "You've got mail!"

Rod flinched at the sudden PING. 'Why on Earth did I log in to my personal email account at work?' He thought as he opened the email box somewhat absentmindedly. Well, until he caught sight of the name on the message.

"Ricky!" He gasped.

Rod hovered his cursor over the message in a state of shock. When BANG BANG BANG! There were three loud knocks on his office door.

Startled out of his contemplation, Rod hastily exited the email box, inadvertently deleting it in his flusterous panic.

"Um… yes? Come in!" Rod called.

One of his interns popped his head around the door. "Mr. Periwinkle there's a pizza delivery guy here to see you. Shall I send him in?"

Rod spotted what he was convinced was a smirk on the underling's face. And he could feel his blood boil with defensiveness.

Admittedly, he'd become somewhat paranoid, especially lately. Rumors about his sexuality had spread throughout Wall Street like wildfire since he'd come out on Avenue Q. He had no idea how the gossip had gotten out. But it had. And now he had to deal with it!

But honestly, he was just getting so fed up with the whole thing. He'd been pranked so many times with the supposed arrival of fictitious sexy delivery guys over the last couple of days. So many he was this close to putting a sign on his door that read, 'The next person to pretend there's a delivery guy to see me… GETS FUCKING FIRED!'

"Oh please. You will have to do better than that!" Rod rolled his eyes.

"No, really!" His subordinate insisted.

"For God's sake!" Rod exclaimed, gesturing to the pile of papers on his desk, his impatient sarcasm seething just below the surface. "Okay. Fine. Please, by all means, send him in with the pizza! Get him to lay the greasy boxes down there, on top of the Margate paperwork. Then we can all dig in! That's what gay guys do, right? Have pizza orgies?!"

"Really?" The underling questioned, unsure if his boss's request was genuine or not, given the circumstances.

"Yes, really!" Rod pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the love of God! Of course not really! Can't you see how snowed under I am! I have a ton of paperwork to complete! And three accounts to settle before seven! Also, I didn't order any damn pizza! Oh, and for the record! Not all gay-guys-have-pizza-orgies!" He screeched hysterically, his words blurring together.

"Sorry, sir." The secretary disappeared for a moment, before returning sheepishly, shaking his head. "Um, never mind. False alarm. He's gone. Guess he wasn't a delivery guy. Just a guy holding a pizza. Oops. Sorry. My mistake, sir. He said he'll catch you later tonight after the Yankee's match." He smiled nervously, as he carefully closed the door behind him.

Rod rolled his eyes. "Gah!" He grumbled. He could easily guess who it had been. "Nicky!" He tutted and shook his head. "How many times have I told him not to bother me at the office?!"

But Rod wasn't really mad at Nicky. How could he be, when secretly, he loved it when his dreamboat called in to see him at work? He always loved it! Even if it was shockingly inappropriate!

'Oh, Nicky.' He moaned a lovesick sigh.

Oh, how he wished Nicky really was a pizza delivery guy, arriving for a hot steamy pizza orgy, just the two of them. He bit his lip feverishly, briefly indulging in a fantasy kiss with imaginary Nicky.

***** ROD DAY DREAMS *****

"Hey, Rod buddy? Wanna try some of my pizza? Please! I promise it'll be delish!" Nicky begged, his eyes deep with hunger. He opened up his luminous rainbow box to reveal a pepperoni-laced, tasty cheesy treat with a heart-shaped crust.

"No. But I want to try you." Rod flirted, swaying his hips as he shuffled towards him.

"Sure thing, buddy." Nicky's grin tripled in size and he engulfed Rod in a warm familiar embrace.

Rod bathed in his sweetheart's intoxicating scent. Nicky's skin smelled like freshly baked cookies and his hair sparkled like chocolate syrup. He swooned. It felt like him and Nicky were in the eye of a hurricane of lust, as the colorless paperwork morphed into prismatic pearls, flew into the air and encircled them. He wrapped his arms tightly around his beloved, edging forward to kiss Nicky's sticky greasy lips.

The moment was like something out of a magical fairy tale, only to Rod it was at least a quadrillion times more enchanting! A passionate luster swirled around the amorous couple. And Nicky's mouth melted against Rod's lips like a marshmallow dissolving in a mug of hot cocoa.

Rod beamed, as he all but burst from the breathtaking happiness. "Oh my God, Nicky. I just want to hold you so much!" He tightened his grip on his best friend's t-shirt. "Please never leave me again!" He said in profound desperation.

"Don't worry Rod buddy, I'm not goin' nowhere! I'm yours now. Yours forever. Jeez, I've always been yours!"

The ring of papers above them morphed into origami-cherub cheerleaders, which danced around the happy couple in the air, like acrobatic synchronized swimmers.

Nicky tipped Rod in his arms and stared deep into his soul. "I love you so much, Rod! So, so much! I've always loved you."

"I love you too, Nicky!" Rod smiled, as his heart melted with pure joy.

"You know, you can always talk to me, buddy. About anything. Right?" Nicky whispered.

Rod swallowed hard. "Really?"

"Course." Nicky caressed Rod's silky blue face with his soft green thumb.

"Gosh, Nicky... You put me in heaven with your touch! I just want to snuggle up to you and never let you go!" Rod mumbled, hugging his arms around his friend's waist and snuggling against his chest.

The office glowed a delicious shade of turquoise, and the paper cheerleaders showered the romancing roommates in confetti and rose petals. Before the delicious divine image faded.

***** END OF DAY DREAM *****

"Heaven." Rod sighed wistfully. "If only fantasies could come true." He muttered, his heart sinking into a deep pit of hopeless oblivion. Massaging his temples, he spoke firmly to his fervid imagination. 'Right! Enough Nicky indulgence! Back to work!'

All but suffocated by an avalanche of trivialities, facts, and figures, Rod pressed on through the monotonous misery of the day. However, between his imaginary escapades, real-life deadlines, and bouts of hysterical paranoia, he soon forgot about the email from Ricky. And the potentially life-altering message lay dormant in his recycle bin, like an undetonated landmine, waiting for a fatal click.

AUTHOR'S NOTES :

** All comments & criticisms welcome. I'm a huge Rod & Nicky fan, so I just write about them for fun! =)

=== I know the plot moves super slowly. Probably too slowly! But as I'm focusing on character thoughts, internal monologues, memories, flashbacks & dream sequences. Unfortunately, I don't think I can change that! =/

** I apologize if the plot seems a bit disjointed & drawn out.

=== I confess I'm prone to going off on tangents in the form of flashbacks & dream sequences! It's just so much fun!

** Also I apologize for any poor grammar!

=== I confess, some of my grammatical errors have become part of 'my style' in a weird grammatically incorrect way! Because I can't bring myself to change certain grammar mistakes, even though I know they are technically wrong! And yes, I'm mainly referring to the dialogue tags! Because the correct way, just looks odd to me now for some weird reason! Still, I apologize if it bugs anyone! =/

** Thanks goes to NitrusOxide, FranBMan & Ted-Drakness, from deviantArt.

=== As it was reading their stories that initially inspired me to have a go at writing my own Rod/Nicky fic!