Fireworks

Regardless of Certain Festivities, The Delinquent Gang Celebrate For Their Leaders

"You sure this is ok?"

The brunette turned to face the scarred blonde, "Of course it is. I mean, it's the best view in the house," Jacuzzi Splot indicated the large window occupying a majority of the wall in his small bedroom. Outside, there was an unobstructed view of the early evening sky. Nice circled around, investigating the room's sparse contents.

"Still, you don't let too many people up here often, if you can help it."

"The Fourth is a special occasion, right? And we've never gotten to see the fireworks in Manhattan before."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Nice gave a laugh, "An' to think, the rest of the guys don't care to watch."

This time it was Jacuzzi's turn to laugh, "I think after your show yesterday, everyone's a little burnt out on fireworks. Besides, no one can compete with the stuff you put together."

"I guess you're right. Maybe I went a bit overboard yesterday," Nice shrugged. Nice's birthday happened to fall on the third of July, the day before Nice's favorite holiday. That meant the gang always had two days full of fireworks and celebrations. More often than not, everyone (save for Nice) was tired of explosions by the time the official fireworks displays began.

"Well," Jacuzzi offered, "you seemed to be having fun. Did you like the gifts, at least?"

Nice sat down on the bed, "They were really great, but you all know you didn't have to get me anythin'. You know I don't care much for presents. Although," Nice smiled, "that liquor you made was awful good."

Jacuzzi blushed and sat down on Nice's left, "It was nothin'. I just hoped you got everything you wanted…" he trailed off. Jacuzzi had panicked about what to get Nice for weeks. He asked anyone he could for ideas, and got every answer from something homemade (Donny), a home cooked meal (Fang), to jewelry (Claire, or Felix, or whatever he was going by these days). Taking into account all three answers, Jacuzzi decided to brew some special liquor, then pop by a jewelry store to get something nice. Unfortunately, everything Jacuzzi deemed nice enough was too expensive, and everything he could afford was nothing Nice would like. Jacuzzi felt rather ashamed that he couldn't get her, in his opinion, a full gift. Of course, there was the suggestion that Nick had in mind… but, no. He couldn't possibly work up the nerve to do something like that.

Nice sighed, "Well… I guess there was something I was kinda hopin' for…"

"What?" Jacuzzi instantly panicked, worried that he had somehow fallen short of Nice's expectations by not getting jewelry, "I was hopin' to do somethin' a little more special for your birthday gift this year, well, ya know, since the train I mean… but it didn't really work out…"

"Yeah? Well… what exactly did you have in mind?" Nice inched closer. She wore a peculiar smirk on her face that only ever appeared when she was onto something beyond Jacuzzi.

"…I was gonna pick up some kind of necklace or something…" Jacuzzi blushed and ruffled his hair, his secret now out.

A pause.

"Is that what you were going to do?" Nice chuckled, "Jac, thank you, but you know I don't wear any jewelry," She pushed herself off of the bed to go and inspect the scene outside the window.

Jacuzzi stood up, bashful, "Oh, well, I bought you that hair ribbon, an' you wore it as a necklace, so I thought you might like somethin' a little fancier…" he trailed off, "An' besides, I just thought that's what… what… c-couples get for each other," Jacuzzi blushed even brighter. It had taken them months to finally admit to their relationship, and even now Jacuzzi had a difficult time saying it himself. It's not that he didn't want to; the words just didn't feel right. They weren't different people, and it's not like they weren't together before this. Calling their relationship by a different name just felt strange, not to mention all the sideways glances and raised eyebrows they got now from the rest of the gang making them feel even stranger. He continued, "Then what did you want for your birthday?" It was Nice's turn to blush at the question.

"I was just thinking… I dunno, we've been… together for awhile…" she managed to spit out, her eye focused intently on the wall ahead of her, "Maybe we should start doing… some more… you know, more couple-y things…" Nice turned her head in embarrassment.

While Nice was the half of the pair who was more cool-headed in dire situations and more adept at social interactions, she still didn't know the first thing about carrying on a romance. Awkwardness floated in the air whenever the two were alone together, because neither of them knew how to behave around the other now. Even though she liked putting their friendship and partnership first, deep down, Nice wanted to be able to act like Claire and Chane occasionally. The problem was, Nice didn't have the faintest idea how to make this happen, let alone at a rate Jacuzzi would be comfortable with. Jacuzzi had made the first move on the train, and she had been waiting for him to build up the courage to take things a little further. Apparently, that wasn't happening.

"More… uhhhh… couple-y… things?" sputtered Jacuzzi.

"Yeah, like… ummm…" the words wouldn't come to Nice's mouth. The two sat there in awkward silence, drowning in the thick, anxious tension.

"I… think I know."

"You do?" She turned to face him.

"You want to… kiss… more…?" Jacuzzi's words fell flat, his uncertainty showing more than ever, "Sorry, no, that's not right. I know… I k-know..." get it together, Jac, you can do it—

Jacuzzi felt a tug at the collar of his shirt, and suddenly found Nice's face pressed against his own, their lips locked together. The force caused him to clumsily fall back onto the edge of the bed, dragging Nice, a bit more gracefully, on top of him. Not to be deterred by the fall, Nice's lips found his own again. This was different than their previous kisses. Since that night on The Flying Pussyfoot, the couple only shared simple, chaste pecks in the middle of empty rooms, and even those were full of self-conscious blushes. This time, Jacuzzi sensed some sort of hunger behind it. Nice's hands had slid around his neck, her fingers lacing themselves in his hair.

Jacuzzi pulled himself away, "N-Nice? W-what are you doin'?"

"What does it look like I'm doin'?" She pulled him in for another kiss. This time, he could feel just how flushed his face was (and maybe a bit of heat radiating from her cheeks as well). Nice moved her hands down to his shoulders and slowly pushed him back onto the bed, not bothering to break the kiss. Through her shaky nerves and apprehensions, Nice took a deep breath. She was the confident one, she could do this. She ran her hand gently along the tattooed side of his face, almost caressing it, then moved her hand down his neck, along his collarbone, and down his chest, until she hit the buttons of his dress shirt.

Nice began unbuttoning Jacuzzi's shirt, not giving her partner any more than slight gasps to say, "Wait, Nice! A-are you ok with this?"

Nice stopped for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, um, aren't you supposed to wait until marriage for this kind of thing? I don't want to be puttin' you in any kind of compromising situation…"

"Oh, is that all? Well… when have we ever played by the rules before?"

Jacuzzi thought on this for a mere second. "…Okay," Jacuzzi rushed to take off his vest, then pulled Nice back down to meet his lips. Nice traced over Jacuzzi's chapped lips with her tongue. Her hands played softly around his neck. Slowly, now that he had Nice's permission, Jacuzzi gained a little more confidence in what he was doing. He repositioned his hand to the small of Nice's back, feeling the curvature of her waist, the smooth arch of her spine. Around to the front of her vest, his shaking hands moved, where he figured the natural progression would be to undo the buttons. However, his fingers fumbled over the buttons, and the nervous trembling in his hands did nothing to help. He could barely get the first button out.

"Here, do you want some help with that?" Nice purred with a bit of a chuckle.

"Ummm… is that ok? I know the guy is… well, at least I thought that… uhhh… I-I'll just turn around so you can…" His voice trailed off. Jacuzzi sat up and moved over to the edge of the bed, turned with his back towards Nice. With an anxious sigh, he proceeded to shakily untie his shoelaces. By the time his socks were tucked away in his shoes, he felt a pair of warm hands on his back. Jacuzzi glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes were met with a scarcely clothed Nice. She had taken off both her vest and her pants in the time it took him to remove his socks and shoes. There she was, her svelte waist, her fairly athletic frame, and her peachy skin dappled with the most beautiful scars. Nice was, as she always was, absolutely stunning. How on Earth a woman of this charm chose Jacuzzi over the countless other more qualified men was beyond Jacuzzi's reasoning. Before he could turn fully around, Nice's hands were already around his waist, her lips grazing the nape of his neck, her chest suddenly pressed against his back. Her mouth traveled along, taking great care with each peck she gave, while her hands found the top of his pants. She struggled some trying to figure out the cummerbund ("Seriously, how do you even get this thing on?"), which was a bit of clumsiness on her part that soothed Jacuzzi's worries. Soon, though, she was unbuttoning his pants, slowly pulling down the zipper. Nice ran her fingers down the length of Jacuzzi's thigh as she removed his pants, her soft skin pressed against almost every inch of his back, leaving her partner making small gasps. While often times she had seen or touched these parts of Jacuzzi's body tending to wounds and bruises, Nice had never taken the time to feel them. Her hands traveled back up his leg, under his shirt to his chest, making light motions with her fingertips. It all felt so strange in this new light, yet something about the uneven skin under her fingers, the contact between their two bodies only fanned the flames of Nice's desire. Jacuzzi moved his hand to her arm, gently tracing the scars along it.

Jacuzzi turned around to face Nice. It was Nice's turn to get an eyeful of her partner. Certainly he looked a little comical, sitting there in only his shirt and briefs. But beyond the ill-fitting, very-few-remaining clothes, Jacuzzi was not bad to look at. Years of hard work and plenty of running left him with lean muscles, and his face, while boyish, definitely had charm. Even more, there was a determination about him, a sort of fiery tenacity that Nice could never quite predict, much like her beloved weapon of choice. Nice couldn't help but find moments where he showed that boldness, well, hot. As if to prove Nice's thoughts, his hands went up to dance along her neck and shoulders, and then back down to grab along her waist. Nice resumed kissing along his defined collarbone, while her hands efficiently unbuttoned Jacuzzi's shirt. Her lips moved down his chest with every button she undid, making sure to kiss every bruise and old scar on her way, then rose back up to meet his as she slid the cotton shirt off his shoulders. Jacuzzi's hands stroked Nice's sides, causing a light moan to escape her lips. Nice used this sensation to move closer to Jacuzzi, practically sitting in his lap. His fingers skimmed along her soft skin, around her stomach, her sides, the small of her back, and up to the clasp of her bra. There was a struggle in trying to unfasten it, but eventually the bra was off. Jacuzzi took each strap of her bra in his hands and slowly slipped them off, as if both savoring the moment and wracking his nerves for all that he knew was coming. Jacuzzi halted, stunned and not knowing what to do next. He knew what he wanted to do, but was that what she wanted? Was that the proper thing to do? Nice smiled at him, discarded her bra to the side of the bed, then took his hand in hers and placed it on her breast. Following Nice's guidance, Jacuzzi softly massaged her chest. Nice moaned gently in response, the hot air of her breath lingering in Jacuzzi's ear. When his thumb brushed over her nipple, Nice couldn't help but shudder. Jacuzzi stopped, concerned.

"No, that was nice," Nice whispered in low tones, "Please keep going."

Encouraged by this, Jacuzzi grabbed her breast, playing with it in his hand, as his mouth grazed her neck. Nice grasped at the smooth muscles across Jacuzzi's back. He kissed along the scars on her shoulders, up the side of her neck, to her face. All the while, Nice was making sounds that Jacuzzi had only heard her make while she played around with her explosives. Their lips met once again. This time, however, neither of them held back. Nice's hands crept their way down, fingertips stopping to play at the line of his briefs. They inched along his hips to the front of his body, tracing across the musculature, avoiding the bruises that had yet to heal. Then, Nice's hand smoothly dropped on top of the fabric to stroke Jacuzzi's swelling. Jacuzzi responded with a choked stutter. The two glanced at each other, Nice's eyes asking for permission to continue, and Jacuzzi's timidly granting it. Nice brought her hand back up to his waistline, and then carefully slipped her hand under his waistband and began stroking him. Jacuzzi closed his eyes, his exhalations increasing in volume. He felt fabric shift across his body as Nice hooked her fingers into his briefs and tugged them off his body. Nice moved her hands back up to Jacuzzi's shoulder blades. She looked him in the eyes as she pulled him on top of her. Reaching a hand to his face, she brushed the chocolate brown hair out of Jacuzzi's eyes, and traced his tattoo with the back of her fingers. A smile lingered on her lips.

Jacuzzi froze. Every doubt possible passed through his head. Nice couldn't want him, he was going to mess up, something would go wrong, he might hurt Nice, he plainly wasn't worthy of this stunning woman laying in front of him. She could have anyone she chose, and he couldn't make sense as to why she would settle for someone like him. Through the cloud of his thoughts, Jacuzzi studied Nice's face. There she was, smiling lightly, waiting for Jacuzzi to make his move. This one look at Nice's face told him the answer he needed: Nice wanted no one else but Jacuzzi.

Jacuzzi traced the fine line between smooth skin and scar across Nice's face. Then, he took her eye patch in one hand, and carefully slid it off. Nice looked up into his eyes and blinked. There was a trace amount of worry in her face, but then she gave a slight chuckle. Nice didn't typically take off her eye patch—too much of a hassle, didn't want to worry about others reacting, didn't want to talk about it, too personal, too close—but with Jacuzzi, she didn't have to worry about any of those. Jacuzzi has seen the best of her and the worst of her, and he loved her all the same. Jacuzzi leaned down to plant a kiss on her brow before making his way to her lips. The kiss intensified as Jacuzzi took in the whole of Nice's body with his hands. They made their way around her figure, then stopped at her hipbone. He cautiously removed Nice's underwear, the last article of clothing between the two, and gingerly positioned himself at her entrance. A small whimper left Nice's mouth as Jacuzzi tried to push inside. A look of deep concern crossed Jacuzzi's face as he halted.

"It's alright," Nice soothed Jacuzzi while trying to contain the discomfort across her face, "It just… it might hurt a bit for me at first. Do you think you can handle that?" Jacuzzi's brow slowly unfurled as he kissed her in response. Slowly, and very, very carefully, Jacuzzi entered Nice. Nice winced and pulled Jacuzzi closer, using the warm, pleasant comfort of his skin as a distraction from the momentary pain. They took their time at first as the discomfort subsided, taking in the feeling of one another little by little. Their hips found a shared rhythm, and, as Jacuzzi gained confidence, he began to increase his pace. Sharp sighs and soft moans echoed through the room. Nice faintly gasped, "Jacuzzi…!" as she wrapped her legs around Jacuzzi's hips. Her skin smoothed under his, his hot breath lingering against her neck, her lips reached to meet his mouth, his fingers laced themselves through her own. Nice's hips moved with Jacuzzi's thrusts, intensifying every move, until, "Nice—" The muscles in his body went tense, and a small cry left his lips. Jacuzzi collapsed next to Nice, and the two laid there on the bed, panting, their fingers still intertwined.

Suddenly, a light sob came from Jacuzzi. Nice rolled over to face him. She was used to comforting Jacuzzi through his tears, but this was a more personal matter. Her hand cupped his face and wiped away the tears, "What's wrong, Jac? Was that ok? Did I do somethin'…?" She was worried, which was not a common occurrence.

"No, no, no, I-I just…" Jacuzzi fumbled over the words through his tears, "I just… never thought this would happen…"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you—"

"No, you got it wrong. I've… I've… wanted this for a little while now, and I was so scared of what that meant, and I didn't know what you thought of me or would think of me if I tried anythin', or if this ever crossed your mind, too, and I just didn't know what I should do—" a new flood of tears streamed down his face, "—and now all of this just happened so fast I could hardly keep track of it, and it was amazin', a-and you're amazin', and I… I…"

Nice wrapped Jacuzzi up in her beautifully marked arms, "I love you, Jacuzzi."

"I love you, too, Nice."

Wrapped up in each other's arms, they laid on the bed, enjoying their closeness. Never before had they been so close without hesitation, without anxiety. Just feeling the warmth from each other's body was a joyous comfort. Their hands slowly began to wander, once again exploring every inch of skin they could. After a short time had passed, Nice slid her hands up to Jacuzzi's shoulders, and rolled him onto his back. Placing herself above him, she leaned over and whispered, "Do you think you got it in you to try this one more time?" Jacuzzi responded with a confused, yet certain gaze, and a slight smirk. Nice grinned as she kissed him, then positioned herself on his hips, and soon, they were right back to what they were doing.

The rhythmic squeaks began to echo through the house again.

"Again? So soon?" The blonde man looked up at the ceiling dubiously. Everyone was gathered in the living room. Nick, Donny, Ian, Fang, Jack, and the others had been cleaning up from the earlier festivities when they were halted by the sound of an old iron bed frame being shaken quite vigorously.

"Jes' let them have their fun. Heaven knows those two deserve it," Ian quickly grabbed a bottle from the kitchen and opened it, "Shall we have another round of drinks in celebration?" A small cheer went through the room.

"Yeah, Nick, you're just mad you lost the bet," Donny grunted, while Ian refilled everyone's glasses.

"How was I 'spose to know they'd take this long to get at it? I mean, any normal couple—" Nick was silenced by the glares his compatriots were shooting at him. Under his breath, Nick muttered, "At least Jac finally took some o' my advice…" as Ian finished topping off the last of the glasses in the gang members' hands.

"At any rate," Fang offered up, "Cheers for the happy couple?"

The room quickly filled with the sounds of glasses clinking, laughter, cheers, and whistles. Over all the merriment and enjoyment, not a single person in the house happened to notice the fireworks bursting outside.