A nighttime ritual at the Carter-Doroughs.

Title: Nighttime Ritual
Author: Shirasade
Fandom: Backstreet Boys
Pairing: Howie/Nick
Rating: PG
Date: Jan 4, 2005
Series: 12 Days – Day 9: nine ladies dancing
Note: Double drabble (200 words). Birthday mathom for MarryMeHowie, who wanted future fic, and for bg, who wanted food.
Summary: A nighttime ritual at the Carter-Doroughs.

Sometimes at night, when their bodies were tangled together like a complicated jigsaw and Nick had fallen asleep, Howie would turn off MTV with its half-naked girls dancing and sneak out of the bedroom, padding over the thick carpet with bare feet.

After a while he would return, carrying a tray. Then he would wake Nick, who would grumble at first but start smiling sleepily as soon as he saw the tray. He would pull Howie into bed with him, and they would eat the snack Howie had made for them, feeding each other, talking quietly until they fell back asleep curled up around each other. Sometimes this would lead to other activities, and the tray would slide off the bed with a clatter, forgotten as their bodies came together in another time-honored ritual. They melted together, slow and sweet, like a dance underwater as they breathed each other in.

Howie loved to cook, especially at night, when their house was quiet and enchanted, and Nick was happy to let him, although he treasured his sleep. There were things it was worth waking up for, and Nick had decided long ago that Howie was at the top of his list.