WARNING: NickxEllis (Nellis) ahead.

DISCLAIMER: Valve owns these wonderful boys, not I. But I do however, own this story.

Happy Belated Easter!

"What's the deal with me waking up alone this morning?" Nick complained with a yawn as he entered the kitchen, pulling on his robe.

Ellis, who was dressed in a similar manner but wearing a dark red one instead of a dark blue, walked around the central island to greet him. "And a good mornin' to you, too!" He beamed brightly, bare feet loud on the tiled floor. "Did you sleep well?"

Nick pulled out a chair to sit in. "All things considered, I did." Before Ellis could say anything more, he grabbed at the red garment and made the younger position himself in his lap. Once El was comfortable he took his face in his hands and locked their lips together for a good morning kiss. Ellis practically melted in his arms as he fell under Nick's spell; something the gambler was good at, regardless of what time it was and where they were.

"Until I woke up and realized that you weren't beside me was when I decided to get up and see if anything was wrong," he finished, their lips creating a soft smacking sound once they parted. He searched his partners face. "Everything okay? I know it's Easter and that you planned on skipping church this morning, but…"

The mechanic chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, genuinely touched by his boyfriends concern. "If yer wonderin' if I'm mad 'cuz I chose to stay home with you instead of going to worship, no."

"Then why are you up so early instead of staying in bed with me?" Nick asked out of curiosity, one eyebrow raised. Then he decided El didn't need to give an explanation since the evidence was staring him in the face—literally. "Are you now just getting to coloring the eggs?"

Ellis looked taken aback by the abruptness. "Well yeah, but—"

"Why didn't you get them done after you made the Easter baskets?" He practically snapped. Silently he chastised himself for not noticing it sooner before he kissed him. If Nick had gotten any of the colored dye on his skin his shit-fit would not have been a pretty one.

"Well I thought that they would look better if done the day I give them away," Ellis replied indignantly as he leaned back. "It's what I usually do the mornin' of Easter and it generally helps me get into the mood if I'm not gonna go to church, and it wasn't like you were gonna help me make them—"

"It just means that when we get to your mothers we'll also have to haul a couple of cartons of painted poultry along with the baskets," Nick argued. The younger averted his gaze and the older grunted his frustrations, namely leaning his head back while pinching the bridge of his nose and wishing at that moment he should have just stayed in bed. "Honestly Ellis…"

"Oh don't be such a bonehead," Ellis protested. "You could've slept in for a bit longer and let me be. I would've woken ya up eventually."

"Yeah, to the sound of an egg or two dropping to its doom and you trying to hide the evidence." The older muttered with a sigh.

"To quote you: 'whatever.'" El joked, but was clearly a bit hurt by the statement. He felt a leg trying to swing over as the kid presumably wanted off his lap. Nick stopped him. "Seriously Nick, y'know they're for the egg hunt my mother's doin' for the neighborhood kids! Why are ya bein' such a big baby about it? I just gave Zoey the Easter baskets so we wouldn't have—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a sec," Nick interrupted, head snapping back up. Did he hear him right? "Zoey was here this morning?"

"Uh huh."

"What for?" He practically spat.

"To pick up the baskets I made for everyone," Ellis repeated, trying again to get away but to no avail since Nick held him firmly by the hips. "Since she's goin' up north to see her family, she offered to deliver them so we wouldn't have to. Called it her good deed for the day and would've been missing the point of Easter if she didn't help out."

"Or miss the chance of practically seeing you in your skippies," he remarked, even though while Nick's robe was wide open El's was tied.

Despite the half-hearted argument they were having, he managed to get a smile out of him. "Well, that's jus' your theory. She can look and stare all she wants…but my heart belongs to you and only you. Regardless of what you think, I'll continue to be nothin' but eye candy to her."

Nick smirked. "It's not just your heart that belongs to me," he said slyly, sliding his hands up and down the kids thighs, "but your body as well."

Ellis tilted his side to the side, one eyebrow raised. "And might I be so bold to say the same about you?"

"Maybe."

After a few minutes of enjoying each others company, the two men finally got to work on making breakfast—mainly Nick, who proceeded to cook French toast with cut strawberries topped with whipped cream. As he worked his magic around the kitchen Ellis picked up where he left off on the Easter eggs.

Every so often he would look over his shoulder at the kid who dyed each individual egg a specific color and then set it aside to allow it time to dry. Nick did his best to not seem intrigued by the last minute activity as he slaved away with their morning meal. It was amazing how careful he was when handling the shelled items, especially when they were placed to the side. If this was how Ellis was with the vehicles he worked on at the shop, then the customers were damned lucky to have him as their mechanic.

"Breakfast is almost ready," Nick announced as he got to work on the strawberries. Ellis turned towards him and the older popped a piece of the naturally sweet fruit into his mouth. "You mind setting everything and serving the drinks? I'm sure the eggs can wait."

"Sure," El replied as he swallowed. "You want milk, orange juice, or apple juice?"

"O.J."

"Spiked or non-spiked?" He teased. Nick tossed another piece of the red treat to him and Ellis barely caught it. He chuckled with a smile as he swallowed his reward whole. "Orange juice it is."

"Pour me some from the glass pitcher, it tastes better."

Ellis saluted after he got two tall cups from the cupboards. "Yessir!"

Later that afternoon they found themselves on the front porch of dear old mom's house. Being the last house on the left, it was easy to spot and by far the biggest one on the block.

The place was decorated accordingly; the front lawn as well as the porch itself was littered with cardboard cutouts and various inanimate objects befitting of the holiday. Even the rose bushes had a few hidden items that the naked eye couldn't see unless one was looking for them.

Nick was grateful that Ellis didn't adopt the girly side of his parent and fill their own home with cheery bunnies and innocent looking chicks. If he had woken up to the sight of a pink bunny holding a box of chocolates—instead of Ellis dressing as such, which in his opinion would have been a sight for groggy eyes—he would have declared Armageddon on the holiday and thus show the world his disdainful feelings towards the trinkets and traditions that retailers thrived on.

But that would have been asking too much now, right? Their house was barely touched with little to nothing said décor, and Ellis was dressed in his robe while getting in touch with his creative side with two cartons of eggs. So in actuality, even if Nick did wake up alone, he really had nothing to bitch about and had no right to place his partner in the same mood. They say that misery loves company, and although he wasn't really trying to be a grouchy rain cloud and sprinkle his frustration upon the calm meadow that was of Ellis, the thought that Zoey came by while the conman slept was enough to grind his gears—dressed in a dark red robe or not, he thought Ellis would have enough common sense to tie his robe so the young lady wouldn't have had such an eyeful of him.

Damn her.

"You sure about getting her an Easter lily?" Nicolas asked as he held onto the potted plant. "Only one of them bloomed."

Ellis, who was holding onto the basket with the colored Easter eggs like his life depended on it, rang the doorbell. "Yeah. I always get her one."

"Why couldn't one of your cousins have gotten her one?"

They heard approaching footsteps and soon both men found themselves straightening their backs to look more presentable. "I dunno. Never asked them."

Being welcomed into a warm and loving home was something that Nicolas wasn't quite accustomed to; at least not yet. Although it was still a bit overwhelming to be attending any type of family gatherings, he tried his best to blend in and just go with the flow. Sometimes the insecurities would get the better of him and he would find himself drifting away from the social chit-chat until his absence finally became noticed. Other times he would respectably remain quiet and allow everyone else to have a good time while the world passed him by.

This type of outing was far beyond his cup of tea. Even if El's mother did her best to welcome him into the family and accept him as one of her own, it was still a bit disconcerting because of the way Nick himself had grown up. The only real outings he was truly accustomed to were with strangers or reliable contacts that involved either suspicious activity or required him to be as discreet as possible; never to stick around long enough for a name to be learned, with them never getting a chance to remember his face. It was just the life he lived.

Ellis's family sure did their best to accept him into their lives. Hell, they practically welcomed him with open arms even before they got a chance to know him—

"Hey, Nick! Ellis!"

—especially some of the hick's cousins. All girls, no less. Each one had a different vibe about him. As in, what kind of life he led before the nightmare, before meeting Ellis. Each of their ideas were interesting, if not funny. It was those ideas that helped him through the hustle and bustle of consisted of them, even if his younger lover was there to sometimes "hold his hand."

And there they were, outside in the backyard preparing for the big dinner. All five of them.

Together they greeted each of them in turn, and soon Nick's mind began to ponder through the theories they came up with about him as hugs and smiles were exchanged.

Upon seeing some of his choice of expensive attire, Cousin Sarah speculated if he was once a hired assassin; discreet in his own way and so suave after icing his target that when he blew the smoke from his piece, it would spell his name. Although the ego-boost sounded entertaining, his only reply to that was a sly smirk with a wink to match.

Speaking of his choice of attire, mainly because of the white suit, Cousin Kristina had asked if he had a military background—pertaining to the Navy. It was very amusing to him for some odd reason, although the question was purely genuine. He had that certain commanding presence that demanded loyalty and respect and neither confirmed nor denied that his credentials said otherwise.

Another theory was more of a past life type-of-deal that involved a different sort of attire, since Cousin Kristen had gotten this weird sensation from him that perhaps he was related to someone important back in the Old West; be it an outlaw or a cowboy. He found the notion intriguing and simply stated that although he wasn't no John Wayne, Jessie James seemed right up his alley.

Going off of hers gave Cousin Ashleigh's idea more light; she too felt that perhaps he once lived in that era, but mainly as an outlaw who eventually got caught and inevitably hanged. The image that came to her mind while telling him visibly made her shudder, like a ghost had passed through her being. He wondered that, if it were true, that maybe the gang he was a part of (or controlled) had betrayed him and thus were the ones responsible for his capture in order for the rest of them to escape.

Last but not least, there was Cousin Anna; who didn't really offer any insight to his past and therefore didn't question it. With a reassuring smile, she simply told him that it didn't matter how he was before the nightmare occurred, the only thing that he should be concentrating on was taking care of their cousin and making him happy. Which he was doing, and he respected her for saying so.

Kind of blew the rest of the girls out of the water. But he liked them all the same. They saw him as family.

As did he.

Dinner with them was always a delight, and after placing the eggs in their appropriate places outside, the two men sat back and watched as the neighborhood kids enjoyed their yearly Easter Egg Hunt. When it was announced that there were special eggs for the adults hidden in the backyard (and a big one it was) Ellis was up and off his feet and running for the back door in seconds flat to be the first one to find an egg. Nick had to admire his young lover's enthusiasm and decided to join him since he figured one of the eggs might contain something that they could enjoy later that evening.

And found something he did.

It was around nine at night when they made it home, and not long thereafter when they made it into their bedroom. Right now they were on the bed, Nick on top with Ellis on the bottom, clothes off completely and kissing each other lovingly with only their bare skin to warm them.

Well, not completely bare.

"I bet I taste real sweet right now, huh?" Ellis asked breathlessly as Nick kissed and nipped at his neck and jaw-line.

The older man hummed in agreement as his tongue traveled upwards from his other half's chest to the tip of his chin, the chocolate he was covered in becoming more of a sticky mess. "Honestly, you're only making it better." He purred, rolling his hips.

Ellis smiled. "Then yer gonna love the treats I got for you to enjoy when I'm not home."

Nick gave him a knowing smirk. "And what kind of 'treats' did my Easter bunny bring me?"

"Let's jus' say…they are a 'package' deal, and resemble me perfectly," the mechanic said slyly, cheeks slowly turning red. "And I got them made with every flavor. Even white."

Nick chuckled as he slowly slid down the kid's chocolate covered body towards his destination. "Why would I want to eat those when I can have the real thing?"

Then he took the biggest "bite" out of his lover.

It was the best piece of "chocolate" he ever had.