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Nigel's ears needed cleaning. Or perhaps he was simply growing old. Adam did understand there was a significant age gap between them, but he hadn't realized that they were too far apart that Nigel would already start going deaf so soon.
It was a common occurrence between them for Adam to be near raising his voice and Nigel to be hearing ten "Nigel!"s in a row before he realizes he's being called.
Whatever was the cause for Nigel not hearing him, it was starting to irk Adam.
Even the birthday surprise he'd planned for him in his apartment had grown cold due to how long he's been calling him. The balloons were near deflating, the ice in the drinks melting, and the candle nearly burning out and mixing with the icing.
Adam fidgets. What if Nigel spontaneously died in one of the rooms and he hadn't noticed because of how focused he was on setting up?
"Nigel?"
No response. Adam bites his fingers.
"Nigel?"
There was a faint shuffle, then silence again. Oh, so he was alive, then. Good.
"Ni?"
There was a gruff huff, then more shuffling of fabric.
Adam frowns.
This was too much of a common occurence already. It irks him, and he doesn't want it to go for longer than it already has. He calls Nigel by his name, louder if permissible, but it doesn't seem to work. Does he need to do more research? Look into geriatric hearing aids? Nigel did work with guns. Perhaps that was a factor in his hearing loss? Constant exposure to loud sounds did exacerbate the progress of hearing loss. But Adam knows Nigel hasn't worked with guns in years, ever since they got together. He did work at the bar with Darko though.
Was bass and music that loud in bars? Adam's never been, and he'd been frightened enough due to the crowds and the shady people outside asking him to dance. Nigel clocked those people out and never invited him again. It was fine with Adam, though. He preferred his planetarium and cuddling with Nigel in the dark lights of his living room.
But back to Nigel's hearing, what was Adam to do? He'd never looked up hearing loss too much, but he did know that Nigel was in the age range of starting to experience the side effects of aging. Or was that being too much? It depended on the physicality of the person of course, and Nigel didn't seem to be in too bad of a shape.
Maybe Adam should just do what Darko said and smack Nigel in the ears if he doesn't listen.
No, that might contribute more to his hearing loss.
Or perhaps it was the way Adam said his name? Linguistic problems, is that what it was? English wasn't Nigel's first language, and he might have trouble with the accents and the way Adam pronounces his name. They did have a few communication problems when they first got together, what with Nigel still not used to Adam's realm of study and reverting to Romanian when he was frustrated.
Wait.
Romanian.
Maybe...
Adam wasn't sure. He never really researched on how to speak the language but there was one thing he did learn while browsing.
Endearments.
Lovers would answer more quickly if their spouse wasn't using their pet names with each other. But in the case of Adam never really using one for Nigel and only using his name, would the opposite work? And would Nigel even appreciate Adam using them since they've never really discussed it? Nigel was more than happy enough to be using English since it made Adam express himself better, and the man was fluent enough to get himself around.
But the opportunity to attempt...or even just try the thought...
Adam swallowed. Here goes nothing.
"...Iubi?"
The shuffling stops. Adam's tongue was clumsy around the word, never really doing well with foreign languages, but he could almost feel the whole apartment stop breathing when he said it.
"Iu...Iubirea mea?"
Thundering, clambering footsteps and thuds echoed from their bedroom, then Nigel was sliding on the floor in front of him, hair mussed, eyes wild and bright, with flushed cheeks and mouth parted in awe.
"...Star?"
"I've been calling you." Adam frowns. "Where have you been? What were you doing?"
"I was..." Nigel gestures to their bedroom, then Adam notices his bloodshot eyes, his face full of pillow marks. "I was sleeping, baby, but," Nigel shakes his head, "nevermind that. I've never been more wide awake in all my life."
Then he fixes his awed gaze at Adam, as if suddenly remembering what he just said. He breathes dreamily, lips slowly stretching into a smile. "You just...star..."
Adam blinks at him. "Yes?"
"Did you...you just..." Nigel walks towards him, slowly, arms outstretched as if approaching a dangerous animal. "What...did you say just now?"
Adam blinks twice at him with those confused blue blue eyes and Nigel nearly swoons, places his hands on his boyfriend's perfect, chiseled cheeks to hold his whole world between them.
"Iubi? Iub?"
Nigel melts.
Swoons like a teenager who got looked at by their crush.
"Fuckkk," Nigel grits, eyes closing and forehead pressing to Adam's. "Star, you sound so good, I fucking..." He takes a deep calming breath and tries to settle his racing heart before opening his eyes. "Can you say it again for me please, baby?"
"Iubi." Adam gazes up at him with eyes so wide, blue and confused and trusting and he was so, so adorable that Nigel could combust.
He growls.
"Steluța mea mică, îngerul meu frumos, ești atât de prețios. Aș ucide pe oricine pentru tine, doar ca să-ți arăt cât de mult te iubesc, și aș face orice pentru tine, orice, doar cere-mi." (My little star, my beautiful angel, you're so fucking precious. I would kill anyone for you just to show you how much I love you, and I'd do anything for you, anything, just ask.)
"I don't understand. What are you saying?"
"How much I fucking love you, star," Nigel breathes, then he presses a soft kiss on the tip of Adam's nose. He watches him scrunch it and sneeze a little before sniffing. Nigel grins. "You're so fucking precious."
He kisses his forehead again. "This is the best birthday gift I could've gotten, hearing you call me that. Can you call me that again? Please?"
Adam huffs. "But the food is getting cold."
"It's not, it can wait." Nigel looked all too eager.
"It's been cooling for half an hour."
"I'll fucking eat it all, star, just, please, I need to hear you say it again."
Adam glared half-heartedly.
"Star. Please?" Nigel gives him puppy eyes. And when that doesn't seem to work, Nigel dwarfs him in a tight embrace, all huffy and pouty. Adam stuffs his face into his chest.
"Fine. Iubi. Iubirea mea." He mumbles.
Adam gasps when he actually feels Nigel's heart pound louder in his face, stuttering in its rhythm then going back to normal again.
Nigel groans above him, squeezing him and leaving another kiss on top of his soft and curly chocolate hair.
"You're going to cause me a heart attack, star. One day you'll be too adorable and my heart's going to seize. This old man is definitely getting too old for you."
Adam picks on his shirt. "You're not old."
But Nigel only laughs. "I'm at least a decade older than you, star. And I just aged another year today. Soon I'll be Old Man Nigel to you."
Adam whines. "No!"
*
From having supposed hearing loss to suddenly having bat-like hearing, Nigel seemed to do a 180 after learning Adam spoke Romanian endearments. He'd pop up from nowhere with the proverbial metaphorical wagging tail and perked ears with the biggest expectant smile on his face.
It was silly of him. And cute. And Adam loved him being giddy and almost puppy-like for him, waiting for him to call him by the endearments again, but it was endangering Nigel.
He was zooming about and scrambling from wherever just to answer Adam and tend to whatever he wanted.
Cute. But life-threatening.
Adam was currently preparing his plate of mac and cheese, but the portions were too much for just one person. Or maybe he just wasn't that hungry. He suddenly wondered if Nigel had eaten.
"Iubirea---"
Nigel ran tumbling down the stairs.
"Nigel, be careful, please."
But Nigel huffs and clambers to his feet to crush him to his arms and rain kisses on his head.
"What do you need, Star?"
"Nigel, I can't breathe."
Nigel presses one big final kiss on his forehead and pulls away beaming.
"I'm so fucking happy, star. You make me so fucking happy."
Adam blinks. "I do?"
"All the fucking time." Nigel places his hands on his cheeks and squishes them. "Never stop calling me that."
Adam blinks. "Calling you iubi?"
Nigel's eyes flutter close. "Fuck, baby," Nigel softly breathes. "My heart goes crazy when you say that."
"Nigel?"
Nigel starts pressing repeated kisses to his temple. "Yes, baby?"
Nigel looks expectantly at him, smiling, but Adam notices that it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He suddenly feels at a loss, seeing the impact of Romanian endearments on his boyfriend.
"Let's eat."
When Nigel gathers their plates of mac and cheese and cuddles him on the couch, Adam smiles at him.
"Thank you."
Nigel nods and snuggles close while training his eyes on the TV, where Adam's favorite science show was playing.
"Thank you, iubirea mea."
Nigel has never disentangled from him so fast, close to melting on his spot again as he gazed at him with eyes so soft and fond.
"My perfect, beautiful star," Nigel breathes, then presses a kiss to his lips. "I love you."