Once upon a time, in a small town of Savannah, Georgia, a very groggy Nick woke to find his, usually shared, king-sized bed, to be cold and empty. He searched desperately for the warm body, but gave up after he just about rolled off the mattress. After lying in bed for a few moments, he decided he should go and find Ellis, or..? "Ellis!" That oughta do it. The minutes ticked by, and when Ellis didn't reply, Nick decided again to make sure he wasn't dead. Hopping up, slipping on his slippers, (Hey, it's winter! The floors are cold!), grabbed his bat,(ever so cautious after the apocalypse, and deathly afraid of losing his lover), and shuffled out of the room. "Ellis!" He hissed, slightly annoyed, and terribly worried, that is, until the smell of bacon and eggs wafted into his nostrils. 'That ass! Getting me worked up for no reason.' He rounded the corner, and his trained ears witness a voice singing softly to a song on the radio in his wonderful, fitting accent.
"She's pretty as a field of daisies
She's sweeter than watermelon wine
Way hotter than the alabama asphalt
And when I get her in these arms of mine
Man I can't get enough (kinda like chicken and biscuits)"
Nick snuck up behind the distracted, and dancing, hick and whispered, "Morning, Sunshine." Ellis spun around, spatula in hand, and a look of pure astonishment on his face.
"N-Nick! You done scared the shit outta me!"
"That's a helluva good mornin'..." He muttered, dropping the bat.
Ellis chuckled, "G'mornin', Nicky." He gave 'Nicky' a nip on the lips, turned away, and continued cooking. Nick hopped up on the counter and watched the southerner make his was around the kitchen.
"So,...what's all this for?" He questioned, glancing down at his 'Kiss the Cook' apron.
"Whadda'ya mean? I always make breakfist* for us."
Nick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but you always wait for me to wake up first." The cardshark pried, determined to solve this mystery.
"Alrigh' 'ya caught me. I," He turned to Nick, his head held down, "I wanted ta make 'ya a Christmas breakfist, as a-a surprise. But 'ya done ruined it now, so I suppose I'll keep it all for ma-self." He smirked and proceeded cooking. Nick jumped off the counter and protested.
"I don't think so, Over-alls!" He spun him around and planted a heavy kiss on his plump lips. When he pulled away, he was face to face with a flustered Ellis. "Just listening to your, very manly, apron." He smirked mischieviously.
"Hey! You bought this fer me last year fer Christmas. Don't'cha remember?"
"Mmm, yeah, and now I remember why." He pulled him in for another kiss.
"Mmn, Nick, could'ja let me finish breakfist before we, ah, start anythin'?" The cook plead, and his lover dropped his arms and turned to sit at the table and read the newspaper. No new zombie outbreaks, that's always good news.
After five minutes of shitty news, and a growling stomach, food was placed gingerly on the table in front of Nick, and Ellis. Nick grabbed his fork, ready to get his grub on before Ellis interjected. "Nick..." He looked up from his food sullenly and sighed. Nick reached his hands across the table and placed them to Ellis'. "Thank you. Dear Lord, Thanks again fer watchin' after Nick and ma-self during those hard times, and keepin' us together now. Thanks fer another Christmas with the man I love. In Jesus name, Amen." Another 'Amen' followed after Ellis, and he smiled. The latter never dropped his faith in the Lord, even after all they had been through, and his homosexuality, even though it technically went against the Lord, but he still believed, and Nick sorta went along with it for Ellis' sake.
"Now, we can eat!" And so they did, Nick a little more eagarly than Ellis. Ellis had a particular smile on his face while looking at the man across the table. Nick glanced up, and lifted an eyebrow at him, slowing his chewing. "Aw, it's nuthin', Nick, keep eatin'." The ex-conman set down his fork and swallowed his food, and looked at the younger man.
"What is it, Ellis? You're creeping me out."
Ellis smiled, and spoke, "I have plans fer taday."
Nick rose his eyebrows once more, "Oh? And you didn't think I had plans?"
"W-well, I kinda figured yer plans out already. S'not hard ta do when 'ya write it down and leave it open on yer desk in the study." Said note only had one thing on it: Make love to Ellis 'til he forgets his own name, (and hopefully those Keith stories)
"Heh, yeah, I guess you'd do some snooping, so I saved you the trouble. By the way," Nick smirked and leaned across the table to his lover. "That note was a decoy."
Ellis' eyes widened, "'Ya, 'ya mean...?"
"Not the real one, kid. So, what were YOUR plans, hmm?"
"W-well, I was gonna give 'ya yer present, and maybe watch a movie on the T.V, which is usually The Christmas Story, maaan I love that movie. Me and mah Ma, and ma siblings used to watch it-"
"Ellis, babe, stick to the same subject."
"Huh? Oh, right, the plans. And, 'ya know, what you 'planed'."
"That's it? Well, I have a surprise for you later. Let's finish eating."
~After breakfast~
Ellis pulled a box out from behind him and slid it to Nick, who smiled at him and rose his eyebrow in question. Ellis nodded underneath the tree and smiled a big toothy grin. Nick pulled off the red ribbon and lifted the lid off of the gold box. A wide grin crossed his face and he pulled out a white jacket, no, a clean white jacket that looked just like his old one, which he had to regretfully burn, and matching pants. "Wow, El, th-this is incredible!" He leaned over to give the hick a kiss.
"I know how you done loved that jacket, and I couldn't pass up tha chance ta geddit for 'ya."
"It's great, El. Now, your present." Nick stood up and sprinted to the closet in the hall. He rummaged around the top of the closet, and pulled out what he was looking for. He sat back down in front of Ellis, and pulled out a little blue velvet box. Ellis gasped and Nick opened it to reveal a small button. Ellis looked up with an expression of pure confusion. Nick smirked and muttered, "Just press it."
Ellis pressed the little red button and waited, watching it blink, and make faint beeping noises. He listened as the beeps got louder and more frequent, and suddenly, it stopped. Ellis looked up at Nick, dumbfounded. "Turn around, Ellis." But Ellis' eye's just grew wider, and he sat stock still. "W-why?"
"Aw, mayun, just turn around!" That voice! Ellis wipped around quickly only to see his old friend standing there, his hands in the pockets of his overalls. Ellis just stared, shocked. "Well, mayun, say sumthin'!" Ellis crawled very slowly over to his old friend and slowly stuck his hand out. Seeing it not go through the figure, he jumped up and stared into his big, brown eyes. "It really is you." He spoke, tears forming in his blue eyes.
"Hey, El." A huge grin crept its way onto the hicks face, and he took the man into his arms. Nick just watched, a huge smirk on his face, before he spoke, "Man, did I ever tell you about the time I went to the hardware store and ran into your buddy Keith? Maaan, I was so excited to tell you, but I figured I'd wait. I almost let it slip several times-"
"Nick, is now really the time?"
"Heh, I guess not. Well, you two enjoy yourselves." Nick stood and headed to the bathroom. He figured he could take a shower and let them catch up.
Nick came out of the shower, dressed in his new white suit and a royal purple button up. As he made his way to the living room , he saw Ellis and Keith curled up on the sofa in the corner, holding hands and smiling big, toothy grins. Nick supposed he should be jealous, but he couldn't bring himself to feel that way. Ellis and Keith were best friends who hadn't seen each other since the zombie apocalypse three years ago: They deserved the closeness. Nick approached the entrance to the living room and knocked on the doorframe, causing the two to turn their attention to the noise. "Hey, Nick." They said at the same time, and burst into laughter. They still had it.
"Am I interrupting?" He asked, before making his way to the arm chair in front of the illuminated Christmas tree, next to the sofa.
"Not at all, mayun. Listen, I jus' wanna thank you fer reuniting me with mah best friend. I missed him so much, and it means tha world ta me that 'ya took yer time to contact me." Keith thanked the older man with a big smile, which Nick gladly returned.
"Don't mention it. I know how much Ellis missed you, and I was sitting around thinking about what could be the ultimate Christmas gift for the man I loved. I literally spent three days thinking about what I could do, and then a week trying to contact you, with no such luck. Luckly, I ran into you at the hardware store. God was smiling on me for once."
Keith's smile widened, "It was fate..."
Nick looked deep into Ellis' big watery eyes and whispered., "Sure was."
Ellis leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his spouse's lips. "Nick, you didn't have ta go through all that trouble-
"Yes, I did, Ellis." He whispered as he placed his hand on his lover's cheek. "I really did."
"I love 'ya, Nick."
"I love you, too, Ellis..."
Keith looked back and forth at the interaction between his best friend and his best friend's boyfriend. "Okay, okay! Nick, I gotcha somethin'." Keith reached over the side of the couch and pulled out a six pack of Bud Light, Nick's favorite beer. It wasn't wrapped save for a red bow placed haphazardly on the cardboard. "I remember 'ya tellin' me it was yer favorite..." He handed the beer to the elder man, who took it with a smile before handing Keith and Ellis one each. For the rest of the day, Ellis and Keith shared stories and jokes and reminisced all the while Nick laughed and drank his beer.
The time eventually came where Keith had to go. "You can stay in our guest room! Nick don't mind, do 'ya Nick?"
"I insist, Keith. Stay." He smiled a genuine smile.
Keith stood at the doorway, ready to leave. "Naw, you guys are gunna be up all night and I don't want to hear all that, if 'ya know what I mean." Keith laughed. "Y'all enjoy yer Christmas and thanks again." Ellis gave Keith a long lingering hug, and a dorky smile. "Oh, before I forget," The hick took out a slip of paper and scrawled something on it. "Mah number. That's your present, El. I'll see you later." And with a few more exchanged smiles, he left.
Ellis turned to Nick and gave him one look, one special look that told Nick everything Ellis was feeling. Love, adoration, lust, gratefulness,. lust, lust, lust..."Come to bed with me, Nick."
And it was the Best Christmas sex Ellis and Nick have ever had...
*His southern pronunciation of breakfast.
The End, and Happy Holidays! xoxo