#cause i wanted to make nick carraway and jay gatsby.. obviously in love because i think the great gatsby is a thinly veiled queer classic

[simstoyourdismay]

you’re so art deco out on the floor shining like gun metal cold and unsure baby you’re so ghetto you’re looking to score when they all say ‘hello’ you try to ignore them cause you want more, why? you want more, why?

made a sim for @acuar-io’s decades challenge on discord!!

[bi-nick-carraway]

Y o, do you think you can make a fic request with that “nick can sing beautifully hc”?

Hi Loaf!! Sorry this took a few days. Quarantine is stressful ;-; It takes a while to get to the actual singing part, so hang in there while you read it. I hope you like it!!

Warning: implied/referenced sex, Jay Gatsby experiencing a Gay Panic™, cheesy title because I couldn't think of a better one

When he heard his lover sing, he knew

    Jay Gatsby knew what it was like to be in love. He was in love with Daisy Buchanan for far too long, and there had also been a few other flings in his youth. After Daisy left him, so did his love for her. It was a dream after all. In the absence of his affection for Daisy, a new affection began to grow for his best friend.

    Nick Carraway was there for Jay through it all. Despite all of Jay’s poor decisions and rather immature heartache, Nick stayed. It felt more than natural when they kissed for the first time, in a back room during a loud party in an exciting act of rebellion that Jay needed to soothe his heart break. Nick had tasted like champagne, and despite not being a drinker himself, the sharp taste of alcohol sent shivers down Jay’s spine. It truly felt natural, as if they should have been focusing on each other the whole time. It felt natural the first time Nick followed Jay into his bedroom late one night, after laughing and telling stories turned into longing looks and desperate, messy kisses. It felt natural when Nick more often than not woke up in Jay’s bed in the morning instead of his own.

    Jay’s affection toward Nick was really no surprise, but through all of their relationship’s progression, he never once labeled it as love. Perhaps his heart was still too raw after Daisy, perhaps he didn’t want to rush things, perhaps he was just that much afraid of hurting Nick. Jay acknowledged the throb in his chest that he felt every time Nick smiled at him, a smile full of tenderness and warmth that Jay never once saw Nick give anyone else, but Jay was still too nervous to label that feeling. In the back of his mind, he told himself he would eventually face the issue when the time was right, but when that moment came Jay Gatsby was not prepared.

    Like most nights, Nick had stayed with Jay instead of returning to his own house next door. However, when Jay woke the next morning, he found he was alone in bed. The spot next to him still smelled like his lover, but the sheets had grown cold. It was already late in the morning. Jay groaned, his head throbbing. He got drunk for the first time in years the evening before, and his head wasn’t the only place he was sore. Although the memory of the previous night was fuzzy, he could still practically feel Nick’s hands all over him. The thought of it made Jay flush. He forced himself to get out of bed and get dressed, even though he desperately wanted to sleep the day away. When he saw himself in the mirror, bags under his eyes and messy hair that had obviously been tugged on in addition to being mussed by his pillows, he swore when he saw a bruise on his neck that his collar would certainly not be able to hide. He decided to worry about it later and finished dressing, deciding on a blue silk shirt he knew Nick loved.

    As he travelled down the stairs, Jay pondered his lover, a man that made Jay feel like a flustered young girl. He was nowhere near against the butterflies in his stomach, but it still left the unanswered question of how Jay really felt toward Nick. Jay’s internal monologue didn’t last very long, for when he reached the bottom of the staircase, he heard notes echoing through the halls. The piano in the parlor, he realized. No one had played that piano in years. As Jay curiously approached the parlor, he heard that there was a voice accompanying the piano. A lovely, honey-sweet voice that just barely touched the notes, as opposed to aggressively attacking them (a style of singing Jay had heard from many performers at his parties). This voice was light, casual, and not particularly looking to impress anyone. It almost sounded like a lullaby. When Jay peeked into the room, his heart caught in his throat.

    There, sitting at the piano and singing softly, was Nick. Dressed in Jay’s clothes (he hadn’t yet thought to leave some of his own clothing at Jay’s house), hair styled with Jay’s hair product, and skin freshly cleaned using Jay’s soaps. It wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar sight, the singing made the small ache in Jay’s heart increase to the point that he wanted to clutch his chest. Jay had known Nick knew how to play the piano, he had known Nick used to sing in a church choir, but he had never once witnessed it. Nick’s voice was as soft and gentle as the kisses he placed on Jay’s shoulders late in the evening and early in the mornings when Jay always tried to convince him to stay in bed. Jay desperately tried to find a word worthy enough to describe it as he stood in the doorway, listening. Even “beautiful” didn’t quite do it justice.

    Once the song ended with its last featherlight notes, Jay finally entered the room. The sound of his footsteps startled Nick, and when he turned to see Jay, his face went pink. He stood to greet Jay, and failed in his attempt to hide his embarrassment.

    “I just thought I might, well,” Nick stammered as Jay approached him with wide eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve played, and I knew you had this piano and I figured since you were still asleep I might as well practice a bit while I waited for you to wake up.” Jay couldn’t quite find words to respond, so Nick continued rambling. “There’s been breakfast prepared, though it’s almost noon. I should go make some fresh coffee, I know what you’re like without coffee, so-”

    “Nick,” Jay interrupted. He gently took Nick’s face in his hands, Nick’s face that was still brightly colored from embarrassment. “Nick, darling, that was beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Nick’s eyes softened, and he placed a hand on Jay’s wrist.

    “Now I know for a fact I’m not all that talented, but thank you for the flattery,” Nick teased with a gentle voice filled with fondness. Jay stubbornly shook his head.

    “I’ve never heard a more beautiful voice in my life.” Before Nick could protest further, Jay drew him into a kiss. A soft kiss full of warmth unlike their more passionate, heated kisses. A kiss that said something Jay didn’t have the nerve to admit to himself for such a long time.

    “You’re beautiful, too, you know,” Nick said when they pulled apart. The nervous tone had left his voice, and he looked at Jay with a confident look in his eyes. Jay hummed in response before giving Nick another quick kiss.

    “Nick, I…” Jay started, wishing he shared Nick’s confidence. Then he took a breath and brushed his thumb over Nick’s lips. “I love you.” He flushed and Nick laughed, causing Jay to squint. “Is something funny?”

    “No, nothing, it just took you long enough,” Nick said with a grin. He threw his arms around Jay suddenly and murmured against his neck: “I love you too, James. So much it hurts.” Then he pressed a kiss to Jay’s tan skin, right on the bruise he had left the night before. Jay wrapped his arms around his lover in a tight embrace, still embarrassed from his rather sudden confession.

    “Could I hear you sing again?” Jay asked tentatively, feeling as shy as a child. He couldn’t see Nick’s face, but Jay knew he had flushed by the way he further hid himself in Jay’s neck.

    “Let’s get you some coffee first,” Nick suggested when the embarrassment subsided. He pulled away with a smile so bright it nearly blinded Jay. “I wasn’t joking when I said you’re awful in the morning without it. Those bags under your eyes aren’t exactly a good look for you.”

    “Alright,” Jay laughed. “Lead the way, old sport.”

    “No, you are not calling me that anymore.” Nick scrunched his nose in feigned disgust.

    “Fine, fine,” Jay teased with a smile. “Lead the way, my love.” Nick let out a frustrated sigh and pulled Jay into a hard kiss before dragging him to the kitchen, trying desperately to hide his smile. Jay wasn’t the only one that felt butterflies after all.