This is my contest entry over on DA () which explains my absence from here. I worked on this from October 5 to the 28. AND I'M PROUD OF IT! ENJOY!
WARNING: This is only meant for the real Nick x Ellis fans out there-including me! You don't like it? TURN BACK NOW! (Also contains Francis x Rochelle, you HAVE been warned!)
DISCLAIMER: Valve owns these wonderful boys, not I. But I do however, own this story. So...bite me!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
"Nick, c'mon!" Ellis yelled impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. "We're gonna be late and I wanna go!"
The bedroom door opened. "Ellis, stop being such a hard headed woman!" Yelled back the silhouette of a frustrated Nick. "I'm almost done."
Ellis grunted and stomped his foot on the first step in annoyance. "You said that ten minutes ago!"
"Gonna have'ta wait another ten then sport!" The sound of the bedroom door closing stops Ellis from saying anything more.
He spun around on his heel and began to pace back and forth. "Ugh, I don't wanna wait another ten!"
Ellis got really excited when they received an invitation to the Halloween party that Francis and Rochelle were throwing at their house. Since he already knew what he wanted to be that year it took quite a bit of convincing to get Nick to go; more or less dress up. But when Nick shot down every costume idea Ellis came up with, an even better one sprang to mind from a CD in Nick's car which convinced him that the man wouldn't refuse it. Especially when Ellis decided to order it that same day without Nick knowing.
He couldn't wait to see how the former conman looked in it.
He walked back to the stairs and braced his hands against the banister, looking up at the closed door. "Nick, c'mon!" He yelled again before pacing the floor once more.
The bedroom door opened and heavy footsteps sounded as they descended the staircase. Ellis stopped pacing and turned to look as Nick made it to the bottom. He whistled in admiration and touched the brim of his hat in acknowledgment, all frustration fading away. A smile slowly spread across his face as Nick smirked and did a little pose to compliment what he was wearing.
"Thank you," Elvis Presley drawled in his white rhinestone jumpsuit, light blue scarf around his neck and gold sunglasses covering his eyes in reply to the whistling. "Thank you very much."
"Oh my God you look awesome!" Ellis exclaimed, clapping his hands together and approaching the man to look him over. "Does it fit okay? Is it tight anywhere? How do them shoes feel?"
Nick wiggled his hips a bit to adjust the waistline. "It's still a bit snug, but it's fine," he replied in his normal speaking voice.
"You sure? I mean, we can try to stretch the fabric a bit to make you more comfy." Ellis offered.
"Ellis," Nick said gently. "It's fine. Really."
"Okay. The shoes?" He asked again.
"Perfect size." Nick confirmed.
"You like it then?"
The King nodded with a wink. "I do," he replied before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "Thanks, kiddo."
He smiled appreciatively, blushing a bit but pleased nonetheless that he made the right choice. "Thought that you might've like this better then the other ones I had in mind."
"Yeah," Nick agreed as he walked past him and into the kitchen to grab his keys from the key box. Ellis followed him. "You made a good choice, but if you'd of asked me about Elvis early on, I would've suggested the suit he wore from his comeback special. I have nothing against wearing white mind you, but the black would've made me look thinner."
Ellis's face drooped slightly. "Oh, so you don't like it then. I'm sorry Nick," he apologized, taking his hat off and running a hand through his hair. "I should've asked."
"Ellis, it's fine." Nick reassured, placing a hand on his arm. "It's fine, okay? You got it for me because you thought I would've liked it and I do."
"But you jus' said that the black—" His protest was interrupted when Nick covered his mouth with a hand.
"I know what I said," he continued in a firm voice, "but I'm not returning this to the sender." He stroked then patted Ellis's cheek before adding in a lighter tone, "Besides, nobody else can pull off a better Elvis then me." He emphasized by doing another pose and looking at him above the rim of his sunglasses.
Ellis nearly giggled but caught himself. He still couldn't get over how good Nick looked. "And there ain't another one like ya."
"No," Nick agreed. "Never."
A comfortable silence was shared between the two of them while Nick filled a glass with water from the sink. "And who are you supposed to be?" He asked, taking a sip.
Ellis frowned. "You mean you don't recognize me?"
"Oh I recognize you just fine," Nick chirped. "I just don't know who you're supposed to be."
Ellis spread his arms out and turned around slowly for Nick to get a better look at him. "Really?"
Nick took off the sunglasses and placed them on the counter before eyeing him up and down. "Let's see…color changing hat, red shirt, blue jeans—no surprise there—half-folded magazine in your back pocket and white sneakers."
Ellis raised an eyebrow expectantly.
Nick returned the gesture. "Are you trying to look inconspicuous?"
"Not like I've jumped ship or anythin'." Ellis remarked, smiling. "Well?"
Nick pursed his lower lip in thought before shaking his head. "Nope."
"Um, okay." He contemplated for a moment before thinking of something else. "How about I take this outta my pocket?" He reached into the left one and pulled it out. Nick continued to stare. Ellis then does it to the right one, repeating the same gesture.
"I still don't get it," Nick says, taking another sip.
Ellis guffawed, putting a hand to his temple and contemplated what other hints he could drop without blurting out the answer. He knew they had to get going but not before Nick guessed at who he was. "Oh this is heavy," he said reluctantly. "'Kay, hold on. I got somethin' else." He disappeared into the dining room and came back a few seconds later.
Nick shook his head in disbelief as Ellis stood in front of him wearing a jacket with sleeves that nearly hung to his knees and shook his arms a bit. "Well?"
"You look like one of those blow-up decorations with the flailing arms," Nick pointed out, some amusement present in his voice.
"You still don't recognize me?" Ellis insisted.
Nick tilted his head to the side. Ellis watched as his right upper lip started to twitch in that famous Elvis fashion and soon he fell back into character as he tried to figure out who Ellis was supposed to be. "Uh…uh…uh…," Elvis seemed to ponder. Ellis had to suppress from laughing at how far Nick was taking the persona. "Uh…well, I-I just dunno sonny boy. I-I dunno who ya are."
Ellis smiled and closed his eyes, shaking his head as he chuckled quietly. He wiped away the tears that pooled at the corners of his eyes with a sleeve. He really didn't think it would take this much work to get Nick to guess at who he was. But since Ellis could be just as stubborn as the former conman, he wasn't about to give up.
"You really are serious about that red and gray jacket being part of your costume?" Nick asked indignantly as he filled more water into his glass. "It doesn't even fit you."
"Gotta fix it first," Ellis perked up once he composed himself. "Watch this!" He pressed a hidden button on the jacket and soon the sleeves were crawling up his arms. A robotic voice—Nick presumed it was part of the jacket mechanism—said as the fabric moved 'I'm adjusting fit' before it stopped, fitting onto Ellis's arms perfectly.
The young man held his arms out. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"And dare I ask what idiot gave you the idea to dress up like that?"
"You did," Ellis replied, clapping a hand to his shoulder and gently squeezing.
Nick looked at the hand on his shoulder dismissively. "Well now and then there's a fool such as I," he admitted nonchalantly, turning his eyes back to the kid as he gently shrugged it off, "but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't me that gave you the idea. So tell me who you are already." When Ellis took a deep breath and let it out in agitation Nick added, "It's now or never."
"It's not like I'm goin' at a fast mileage or anythin'," Ellis tried again, irritated. "And I've been goin' pretty slow with you with these clues I'm droppin' but when you leave me hoverin'—Christ in a hand basket Nick, were you struck in the head by a bolt of lightnin'?" He turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose, mimicking Nick's infamous mannerism. "Man, why is this gettin' so heavy?"
Nick snorted behind him. "There's that word again; 'heavy.' You getting a headache, kiddo? Is there something wrong with the earth's gravitational pull?"
"W-What?" Ellis replied in a confused tone, turning back around. "N-No. Think, Nicky. Think—"
He froze. The frustration disappearing and being replaced with stupidity as he suddenly realized something.
"What did you jus' ask me?" He asked slowly, eyeing him carefully.
Nick half-smiled.
Ellis took a step forward, his chest tightening with disbelief. "You knew, didn't you?" The smile slowly got bigger. "You knew and you've been messin' with me this whole entire time?"
"Great Scott, El!" Nick exclaimed, laughing as his face started to turn a light shade of red. Ellis knew better than to underestimate Nick's poker face; so the fact that he missed all the signs—especially the very apparent quotes that Nick knew—he chastised himself for not noticing it sooner. "I'm all shook up from watching you put on the best charade I've seen in a long time! You really didn't think I knew who you were? Honestly?"
Ellis shook his head incredulously. "If you knew then why didn't you say anythin'?"
Nick shrugged as he emptied the rest of his drink into the sink and grabbed his sunglasses. "What can I say?" he said dismissively as he made his way to the front door. "I'm a roustabout."
"You still didn't have'ta let me do all that, y'know," Ellis grumbled as he followed him outside. He was glad he put on the jacket for the early evening had a slight chill about it. "Could've jus' told me that you knew who I was so you wouldn't of led me on like that."
Nick locked the door then headed for the car. "And miss out on watching you make a fool out of yourself? No, I only led you on because you should've told me which costume you planned on getting me."
"But you said that you liked the costume regardless!" Ellis protested a bit loudly when they reached Nick's dark blue '07 Shelby GT500 Mustang.
He walked around to the drivers side and put the key in to unlock it. "Then I'm just a devil in disguise," Elvis drawled with a smirk as he opened the door and got inside.
"That's great, Doc," Marty McFly sighed in defeat as the passenger door unlocked and he got in. "That's great."
Clearly the house was a bit more decorated then the previous year. Aside from the same decorations being out—the Styrofoam headstones that littered the front yard, the glass orange/purple/yellow light covers that lined the walkway, the cobwebs and fake spiders spread throughout the front porch, random Halloween stickers in the front windows, a shredded piece of white fabric with bloody hand prints that hung on the garage door—there were also new ones that were noticeable. Although the two large coffins were a bit much, it still complimented the lawn nicely along with the multiple carved pumpkins that sat along the front steps and the purple/orange lights that flickered in the bushes.
And it wasn't too hard to figure out which pumpkin were carved by whom.
Ellis rang the doorbell which sounded like a ghoul's cry. He frowned, adjusting his jacket and hat. "Least it don't sound like no witch."
Nick put his sunglasses back on and carefully checked his hair and side-burns. "You know how Francis feels about them," he said dryly. " Us too. Ain't no way in hell that Rochelle would've allowed him to do that and I'm sure that's the last thing they want to be reminded of—especially at a time like this."
Ellis shuddered at the memory of the multiple sobbing women they came across a long time ago. "I know what you mean," he said quietly, hanging his head for moment and taking a deep breath. He let it out when Nick patted him on the back in comfort.
The door began to open. Their senses were overwhelmed not only by the sweet smell of multiple cooked items, including something that was being BBQ'd presumably out back, but also the semi-loud Halloween music. The track that was currently playing sounded like a remix of 'Monster Mash.'
"SHA-ZAM!" Greeted a familiar voice followed by a snap of fingers as the door opened completely to reveal a familiar figure looking rather sleek in her orange cropped jacket, halter top and pants. "Look at what the cat gone drag in; we got Marty McFly and the King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley in da house! Welcome, boys!"
"Hi, Ro." They chorused. Ellis blushed a bit at what she was wearing but the outfit didn't seem to bother Nick in the least since he kept his eyes locked on hers.
"Uh uh uh!" She chastised, swinging a finger at them as they tried to walk past her, one gold hoop earring dangling from her left earlobe amidst the light brown afro. Ellis averted his gaze from the bronze belt-buckle she wore since the outfit revealed a lot more of her figure than he cared to see—even staring at the gold fox necklace was enough to make him blush a little deeper—and the last thing he wanted was to think of his good friend in a different light; even if she was getting into character and having fun. "Give a girl some sugah before askin' to come into her crib."
"Riiiight," Nick drawled he rolled his eyes and leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. "You look smashing, little sister."
"And you have the right to remain sexy, King." She cooed as he brushed past her an headed towards the kitchen. "And be nice to Francis, honey-bunch," she called after him. "Don't upset the man while he's cookin'!" He waved a hand in the air in acknowledgement.
"Yo, Elvis!" Francis's voice echoed down the hall when Nick disappeared around a corner. "Nice suit, uh…Suit!"
Rochelle turned back to Ellis. "Yer right. He does look real sharp in white still."
"I know. I'm glad I found it when I did," Ellis agreed as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. The red vanished from his face as he smiled knowing that once again he made the right choice.
"Is that actually his hair or a wig?"
"His hair," Ellis replied a bit giddily. "The side-burns too; it took a lot of convincin' to get him not to cut it."
"I know—I almost didn't recognize him!" She said, surprised.
"Are we the first ones here?" He asked, looking around the living room as she let him in.
"Second and third," she replied, closing the door. "Louis has been here for about an hour now. Everyone else ain't here yet." By 'everyone else' she meant Coach and Zoey. Ellis hadn't seen the two of them in quite some time and he was looking forward to celebrating Halloween with them. Not to mention being surprised by what they planned on wearing.
The living room was decorated with multiple orange and black streamers, purple lights, and paper ghosts hanging from the ceiling. A couple of tables by the fireplace held assorted treats and a big bowl of chips. Music was playing from the massive looking stereo system Nick and Louis got Francis the previous year for his birthday.
"So, Francis is cookin' this year?" He asked as the smell of hamburgers invaded his nostrils. He had to swallow to keep himself from drooling.
"Yeah, figured I'd let him since he whined about me not making steak last time and going with lasagna instead." She gestured to the tables. "Help yourself to whatever you want and you know where to find Francis in case if you want a burger. I'll be in the bedroom since I still haven't gotten the rest of the candy bags together." She leaned in to whisper, "And don't tell Francis what I'm doing otherwise he'll take 'em and eat 'em. I already have a few loose ones hiding in the cabinet over there in case if some do show up."
Ellis chuckled. He knew that Francis had a serious sweet tooth so it wasn't a surprise that Rochelle had to hide the goods until tonight. He winked in agreement. "Secrets safe with me, Ro. I'll pass 'em out in case they do."
She smiled. "Thanks."
He waited until she was out of sight before carefully opening the cabinet and checking out the contents of the hidden bowl. Sure enough it was just what he expected to find. He snagged a dark chocolate Milky Way for himself and a Three Musketeers for Nick.
Hey, he figured the kids wouldn't miss a couple of pieces right?
"All I'm saying is that you have to trust me on this!" Francis's voice carried from the kitchen. Ellis closed the cabinet and made his way into the living room to check out what treats were laid out. He wasn't the type of person to eavesdrop on a private conversation but since Francis was louder than the music it was hard to ignore him.
"Hey I'm not questioning anything," Nick argued as Ellis eyed a plate of rice crispy treats. It was one thing for Francis to be a candy hoarder but Ellis always had a soft spot for the crunchy goodies. "I just think it's a bad idea what you're planning!"
"Yeah well, who cares?" Francis said indignantly as the music track changed from the 'Monster Mash' remix to something more sinister sounding. It took Ellis a few seconds to recognize the track as 'Thriller.' "Them little bastards will get it this year—Jésus!" He yelled, nearly making Ellis choke on the gooey goodness. "How are them hamburgers coming along?"
Ellis frowned. Was there someone else here other then Louis that Rochelle forgot to mention? One of Francis's biker pals perhaps? He decided to investigate since he was getting thirsty from the snack.
At first glance Francis looked like he'd been a bar fight and lost; he had fake blood smeared down his right arm and a small band aid was stuck to his forehead. He had on tan slacks and a white tank top. Except, Ellis noticed, Francis also was barefoot and seemed to be wearing…a shoulder holster?
Nick, who was leaning against the counter to the left, took a slug out of the Budweiser he was holding. When he saw Ellis he tossed a can of Pepsi to him which the young man wasted no time opening after he caught it.
Francis looked over at him. "H-Hey, Eastwood!" He greeted, smiling. "How are ya, slacker?"
He also had an officer's badge hanging down from his neck, the shield gently reflecting light against the hamburger patties he was preparing. He was supposed to be a cop that much was clear, but whom?
Before Ellis could say anything after taking a quick slug of the precious tasting cola, Francis looked the other way. "Jésus!" He yelled again, only louder. "I'm not getting any younger in here, pal! Are they done yet or what?" Ellis caught Nick's eye and mouthed 'Jésus?' to which his partner only shrugged and mouthed back 'How the hell should I know?'
"Why do you keep calling me Jésus?" Came a familiar voice as the patio door opened and a man came walking in, carrying a plate of grilled hamburger patties. "Do I look Puerto Rican to you?" Just like Nick to an extent, it was hard to recognize him at first since the man was wearing glasses and a dark brown toupee on his head. Also, like Francis, he too had fake blood on his right arm just above the elbow, where his once nice-looking white buttoned shirt used to have a sleeve.
Somehow the characters that Francis and Louis were supposed to be representing seemed to nearly click. He had images of a yellow car driving through a crowded park in a panic as they raced against time to get to their next destination go through his mind; like they were playing a game that was only meant for Francis but Louis inadvertently got dragged into the middle of it.
And didn't it involve gold in the end?
Who were they supposed to be?
Nick seemed to know who they were for he closed his eyes for a second and shook his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered. He set the empty beer bottle aside and went for another one. "Shoulda seen it coming."
Jésus?" Ellis mused out loud, creasing his brow as Louis set the plate down next to Francis. He looked to Nick again to see if he would elaborate but the man was already buried in his second bottle of Bud.
"He's not calling me Jésus," Louis explained as he turned to address him. "He's saying 'Hey Zeus.'"
"Yeah!" Francis perked up as he washed his hands in the sink. "As in Zeus the God of Thunder? Ruler of Mount Olympus?"
"Don't piss me off or else I'll shove a lightning bolt up your ass!" Louis finished, smiling despite the fact that he was trying to sound serious while waving a pair of tongs. Off to the side Nick was really beginning to enjoy his drink as he quietly laughed to himself. To see him rarely enjoy anything at all was nothing short of a miracle.
"Heh, good one." Francis high-fived Louis then began to fiddle with the already made patties. "Thanks for making these, stranger. Now I can make my creation."
Zeus smiled appreciatively. "Admit it, you've needed me from the start."
Francis shook his head dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
"You mean that ain't for us?" Ellis asked, a bit disappointed.
Louis gave them an apologetic look. "Sorry you guys; this first batch I made is for Francis. Unless you guys already ate"—he indicated with the tongs to the second plate that Francis finished preparing to be barbequed—"this next batch will be for everyone."
"And before you two say anything," Francis interjected thickly as he worked his magic on his 'creation.' "I've had a rough week nursing Ro back to health from her nasty-ass cold and an even rougher day helping her prepare all this shit. So no wise-ass remarks from any of you—especially you, Suit!"
"Whatever." Nick muttered.
Ellis shrugged. "Ain't gettin' no argument from me."
"Francis!" Rochelle hollered all the way from the bedroom. "Shut up and keep barbequing. Some of the girls' from the office are comin' by and I want you on your best behavior!"
He grunted as he opened various condiments to make the stack that much better.
Louis looked over his shoulder. "Don't tell me that….oh yeah, it is."
"Ta-da!" Francis turned and held the 'creation' carefully so as not to drop it. Ellis was surprised that the man could even hold the massive multiple-stacked meaty goodness with both hands. "Look—Nakatomi Tower!"
"Yum," Ellis commented as he felt his stomach gurgle. Nick nearly spit out his beer in disbelief. The sight of it was impressive indeed, although he wished that Francis had left a few patties out of the equation for the three of them since the crispy treat did little to thwart his hunger. But then he remembered that he still had the Milky Way bar and a Three Musketeers for Nick. "You serious about eatin' that? It's huge!"
"Yup!" Francis said proudly. "Full stomach central!"
Nick coughed and made a show of hitting his chest with a fist. "Heartburn Hotel," he taunted in a raspy voice, making Louis chuckle. Francis rolled his eyes as he proceeded to set his stomach-stuffer onto the counter.
"Hey, Nick." Ellis beckoned when Francis turned away. His other half looked at him as he held out the candy.
"Give me that," Nick demanded as he approached and took the foiled treat. "I sure could use a pick-me-up after watching this shit."
"Glad to hear it." Ellis smiled as he opened the wrapper and popped the treat into his mouth.
"Hey, where'd you get that?" Francis nudged Nick aside and stood in Ellis's face to see what was going on before eyeing the Milky Way bar and snatching it. "Thank you!"
"Hey! Francis, that's mine!" Marty protested as the bigger man turned away, reaching around to try and get it back. Francis kept him there as he greedily ripped open the foil to eat it. "Get your own!"
He gave up once he heard the man smacking his lips in success Ellis contemplated going back to the cabinet and grabbing another but thought better of it since he promised Rochelle he wouldn't tell Francis about the hidden stash.
As if on cue, Rochelle came bouncing into the kitchen holding an expensive looking camera. "Okay guys, picture time!" She checked the settings and took a couple of quick snapshots of them to be sure nothing turned out blurry, much to the dismay of Nick who was temporarily blinded. "Oh, sorry King. Did I catch you off-guard?"
"More of like blind me," Nick grumbled as he rubbed his eyes underneath the sunglasses. "Seriously Ro, what the hell?"
Ro checked the shots she took. "Well the way I see it Mr. Presley, I'm gonna get my pictures no matter which way you look at it—because I'm Foxy Cleopatra, and I'm a whole lotta woman!" She emphasized by snapping her fingers at the mention of her name.
Francis chuckled. "That's my girl!"
Satisfied that the pictures turned out good she motioned with her hand where she wanted them to pose. "Okay, Marty and Elvis you guys move over there, and Zeus you'll stand right by—Jesus. Francis!"
"What?" Francis asked innocently as she yelled at him. "Normally you call me 'God' when I'm makin' you yell but I guess 'Jesus' will do." When she continued to stare daggers at him in spite of the tasteless—and private—joke, making Louis chuckle yet again, he added, "I'm in full costume, I swear—and look, none of the blood got into the food like I promised!" He indicated to the plate beside him.
"What's that on your face?" She spat angrily, ignoring his remarks.
"Uhhh," he drawled stupidly as he touched his forehead. "A band aid? It's part of my costume, babe."
She stomped over to him and roughly wiped at the corner of his mouth. "I'm talkin' about this"—she growled and showed him what was on her fingers— "and why you have it all over yourself like a moron! What, you didn't think I'd find out? That you've been sneaking candy behind my back?"
Francis looked at her fingers, baffled. "What? No. No, I haven't been sneaking any candy!"
"Then what do you call this?" She demanded. "Barbeque sauce?"
"That's not until later, Holly—I mean uh, baby-cakes!"
"Where did you get it from?" She growled.
"Um, the grocery store?"
Ellis bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. He knew better then to joke with Rochelle when she was upset. Nick himself wasn't too keen on handling jokes in a serious situation but when it came to Ro, sometimes her motherly attitude would change into something fierce if she was pushed too far. Or in Francis's case, too easily.
Her nostrils flared. Ellis found himself taking a step behind Nick and looking over his shoulder, afraid that if Francis was about to rat him out he had a pretty good chance Nick would slow her down long enough for him to make a quick escape. Nick risked a quick glance at him, sensing the same thing. When Rochelle slowly lowered her hand and wiped the evidence onto Francis's tank top did the younger relax, resting his forehead on the King's shoulder and letting out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Even Louis looked relieved.
The music in the next room ended just as the ghoulish doorbell rang. The chilling sound startled everyone out of the near-hostile situation, except for Rochelle, who turned away from Francis to answer the door. "Talk about being saved by the bell," Francis mumbled with relief.
Foxy quickly turned back around and slapped him hard across the face, the sound loud in the spacious kitchen as she caught him off-guard. "Shut yer mouth!" She warned before leaving in a huff. Nick took a quick step to the side to let her pass, moving Ellis with him. "You ain't off the hook yet, turkey!"
The boys' all stood there in shock as the next track that began to play was the theme from 'The Twilight Zone'; the sinister notes making the moment that much more awkward.
"Whoa!" Zeus Carver whooped, breaking the silence as Francis rubbed his reddening cheek. "I think she's pissed at you, McClane!"
"Roy!" Yelled a familiar voice from the front doorway.
Detective John McClane sighed loudly as he made his way to the living room to greet his fellow police officer who was all decked out in his uniform. Ellis looked to Nick who gestured with his chin to follow him.
"Hey," he greeted nonchalantly. "Welcome to the party, pal."
"What's this I'm hearin' about you pissing off this young lady?" Coach inquired to the spy who stood next to him. "You gotta death wish or somethin'?"
Francis shrugged. "What would you do for a Klondike bar?"
"Or one of these," Louis said, tossing the man a special treat. He caught it and seemed to admire the beauty of the wrapped snack.
"Sugar, enriched flour, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, polysorbate sixty and yellow dye number five," Officer Al Powell chuckled as opened it. "Just everything a grown boy needs."
"I thought you said you were on a diet, Coach." Nick inquired, pointing to the mans gut.
"Old habits do die hard I suppose, Mr. Presley." Coach grinned as he ate the twinkie whole.
"Oh, now I get it!" Ellis guffawed, snapping his fingers. Everyone turned to look at him except for Nick who rolled his eyes. "Coach is supposed to be Al from one and two, Louis is supposed to be Zeus from three, and Francis is John McClane; you guys are from the Die Hard series—I get it now! Oh my God this is so awesome!"
"And do you remember the part where Gruber killed you with a bullet in-between the eyes?" Francis asked as he went over to the excited young man and knocked his hat off; placing him a headlock and rubbing a knuckle against his scalp. "That's my favorite part, Eastwood!"
"Hey!" Ellis protested amidst the feeling of a burning scalp. He tried hitting him to get him to stop but it only encouraged Francis to rub harder. "Francis knock it off. You're hurtin' me!"
Louis took a couple of pictures with his own camera as Ellis continued to protest under the man's arm. "Okay, John. Let him go."
After a few more seconds of torture he did. Ellis retrieved his hat from the floor and fixed his hair before replacing the precious item back on his head. "Should be savin' all that for them kids," Ellis pointed out, coughing.
Francis looked over at Nick. "You told him?"
"Hey, he did hear us last year arguing in the garage after you dropped me off." Elvis defended. "How was I not to tell him when he kept asking me several times a day for a week about what happened? Ignore him?"
Francis shrugged indifferently. "A bullet in-between the eyes would've shut him up."
"Hey I'm right here, y'know!" Ellis said sarcastically. "And I wouldn't mind bein' a part of whatever you got planned since I'm here."
Louis hummed. "He's right, John. We could use the extra man power and we've already got everything we need."
Coach nodded agreement. "What's another one helpin' anyway? I think we should let the kid in on the fun and have ourselves a really fun Halloween. Besides, one of them no good kids ran over my twinkie!"
"Well then that settles it," Francis confirmed. He looked to each of them in turn until his gaze fell upon his lady. "What do you say, babe? If we promise to behave tonight will you let them help me get my revenge?"
Rochelle placed her hands on her hips. "You promise to get the windows fixed tomorrow if they break them again and not wait a whole week?"
He held up a hand. "Scout's honor. I'll even stay home and watch the dudes replace them!"
"Please, Rochelle?" Louis gently begged. He took another picture of Francis. "I'll hang onto the evidence in case if he breaks his word."
She sighed despite the fact that what Francis had in mind was either going to get them into deep trouble or teach the kids the lesson they deserve. "Okay. Whatever. Don't forget that a few of my girlfriends from the office are comin' over so I expect all of you to be on your best behavior—"
He kept his hand up and winked. Louis took yet another picture as proof.
—"which goes for you too Nicolas, since you embarrassed Lisa last time."
"Pissed her off was more like it," Francis chuckled. "Now that was funny."
Ellis frowned and looked over at Nick. "What? You didn't say anythin' to me about no Lisa. What did you do?"
He waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it, kiddo."
"I'm serious, Nick." Ellis pressed firmly. "What happened?"
"Let's just say," Francis mused as he turned to head back into the kitchen, "that she suddenly knew what a T.V. dinner felt like."
"Enough with the Die Hard jokes already!" Ellis nearly yelled at Francis. To his boyfriend he said, "Nick! You didn't!"
"Oh yes, he did!" Francis said proudly as he walked by Nick and fist-bumped him. Louis took a snapshot of Ellis staring at Nick before following McClane. "Won me fifty bucks!"
Marty guffawed. "And you guys' bet on him too?"
"Lady Luck never sleeps, son." Elvis said matter-of-factly as the time traveler continued to stare at him in shock. "One night and suddenly I'm bossa nova, baby."
The doorbell went off just as a group of little kids appeared at the door, stopping Ellis from pursuing the subject further. Rochelle went to pass out the candy that was hidden in the cupboard as Coach went ahead and scouted all the treats that were laid out on the tables.
Halloween had officially begun.
After spending a good twenty minutes calming Ellis down—Nick reassured him that 'nothing happened' and that at least he came home last year in one piece—he finally told him about how he received the nice shiner on his right eye. Francis had covered for Lisa saying that he 'accidentally' did it to Nick when they horsed around. But it was in fact the leggy brunette who did it since she was so offended by Nick's behavior that she did it when he went too far.
Normally it was something that Francis would've proudly paraded around about, but since Nick had leverage against him—something about a piece of candy corn getting 'stuck' in another one of Rochelle's friends costumes and he went right on ahead and 'helped himself' to get it out, drunk or not—he threatened to tell Ro and thus they created a pact never to tell each other's secret. Her girlfriend never told her.
Ellis huffed in disappointment. "Should've known that the one Halloween I had to work late and miss the party, you and Francis had to go and do somethin' stupid."
"Yeah, well, it's us." Nick smirked as they talked privately in the master bedroom. "You know I would never cheat on you, El."
"Unintentionally, you mean." Ellis said sarcastically. "Once a Playboy, always a Playboy."
Nick winced. "Ow, my pride," he mocked with hurt. Then his expression turned serious as he took off the sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. "Seriously, you know I never would. Unintentionally or not. I like to flirt, what can I say? You should know me by now that it's my nature. I can't stop myself from flirting any more then you can stop yourself from talking about that damn friend of yours."
"Keith? Y'know I haven't said anythin' about him for a long time, right?"
"Come to think of it…"
"I haven't," Ellis insisted. "I know how much you hate hearin' about him so once I figured that I've told you all the stories I was able to tell…that that was it." He sighed at the memory of his fallen friend as he sat down on the bed. He stared at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "No more Keith, no more stories. Hell, I'm not even that mad knowin' that you flirted with a woman. I know that you wouldn't cheat on me and I take comfort in the fact that every night when you come home that I have you all to myself…I don't need Francis or anybody else tellin' me otherwise. I know you love me, Nick. Even if you don't like to say it. I know it."
Nick knelt down in front of him and placed his hands on the boy's knees. "Look at me, McFly," he said firmly but sincerely. When Ellis did he continued. "You know how much saying those words bother me, but at least you understand enough to know that I do, in fact, love you and don't ever second guess it. When I flirt it's all for shits and giggles; I never mean it, but with you, it's different."
"How so?" Ellis asked suspiciously.
"Remember the Elvis song 'She's not you?' Or at least part of it?"
Marty shook his head. "I remember 'Jailhouse Rock,' 'Return to Sender' and 'Hound Dog' jus' fine, but I don't seem to recall you playin' that one. How does it go?"
Nick bit his lower lip and looked over at the CD rack that housed various albums of AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith and whatever crap that Rochelle listened to that didn't belong to Francis. Nothing resembled the King. "Well I don't think John and Foxy even own an Elvis CD so I can't play it, and the album that it's on I'm pretty sure is not in my car, so…"
"Could'ja maybe…sing it?" Ellis offered. When Nick gave him an odd look he added, "I mean, you don't have'ta since you can always play it for me when we get home. I jus' figured that if you knew the words you can sing it since it's jus' us in here. Maybe not the whole thing but some of the words that remind you of me?"
Nick's silence as he contemplated made Ellis think twice about even suggesting it. He felt his face begin to flush with embarrassment. Who was he kidding? Nick would never sing it. He never sang to anybody but himself when he was listening to his albums and even then when Ellis would catch him the man would stop. He was about to tell Nick to forget about it until those emerald beauties were staring into his.
"Her hair is soft and her eyes are oh so blue," Elvis Presley sang softly as he looked up into the stunned sapphire eyes of Marty McFly. "She's all the things a girl should be…but she's not you…she knows just how to make me laugh when I feel blue…she's everything a man could want…but she's not you."
Nick stood and brought up Ellis with him. He linked their fingers of one hand together and raised their arms up as his other hand rested on the young man's waist, Ellis's other hand resting on Nick's shoulder as it took him a moment to catch on. "And when we're dancing," he continued in a lighter tone, gently swaying as he made Ellis smile. "It almost feels sane…I've gotta stop myself from—whisperin' your name—she even kisses me like you used to do…and it's just breaking my heart…'cause she's not you." He paused for effect as if the music was playing in his mind and he was waiting to continue. "And it's just breaking my heart…'cause she's not you."
He twirled them around a couple of times for emphasis on the next verse. "And when we're dancing…it almost feels sane…I've gotta stop myself from—whisperin' your name—she even kisses me like you used to do...and it's just breaking my heart…'cause she's not you...and it's just breaking my heart…'cause she's not you."
They stopped. Nick stared into Ellis's eyes as the younger couldn't believe the song that the man sang sounded so true, so heartfelt, that it left him speechless. To hear Nick sing, even though he'd heard him sing plenty of times before but with the music as opposed to singing acapella, was something of a rare thing to experience.
But that the beauty of a growing relationship, wasn't it?
Ellis's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he tried to think of what to say about the song. It made him feel awkward in a way since the song implied that Nick and Lisa did something.
"She's not you," Nick himself said in a low voice, Elvis disappearing, as if he sensed what the kid was thinking. Slowly he leaned in. "For I can't help…falling in love…with you."
Ellis felt himself melt as their lips met. All doubt about last years misunderstanding disappearing. Nick wasn't one for sensual kissing since he always was more aggressive, but at times when Nick would surprise him… He allowed himself to enjoy the moment.
Perhaps Nick should think about becoming a singer some day?
The food was ready when they finally emerged from the bedroom. Rochelle gave them a warm smile as she saw that Ellis seemed to be himself again for he had a bounce in his step and marveled at how delicious the hamburgers smelled. When he went off to see if Francis and Louis needed any help she looked to Nick who winked and followed after him.
Two hours went by as the party finally got under way. Louis and Francis made the hamburgers for everyone—and Nick and Coach won ten bucks each since Francis couldn't conquer Nakatomi Tower—while Rochelle and Ellis took turns passing out the candy and made sure the strobe light and fog machine were working for when more kids showed up.
Rochelle eventually put in the more bouncy Halloween music that everyone could enjoy and dance to. She and Louis took pictures of the festivities. Capturing whatever moment they could after doing individual pictures. By far her favorite was the one taken of her and Nick; Foxy and Elvis doing poses side by side as he looked like he was ready to karate someone while she held onto a plastic gun. Another was taken of them without her holding a weapon, mimicking what he was doing. She even got a good one of Francis, Coach and Louis; or John, Al and Zeus as they laughed and drank beer together while trying to sing the theme to 'Ghostbusters' and doing the dance that the actors did in the music video. Seeing Coach and Louis help Francis break dance on the carpet was something not to be missed.
She even caught a cute moment between Nick and Ellis. After when Marty had finally finished his Pepsi and moved onto drinking a bottle of Miller, Elvis leaned in and whispered something into his young partner's ear that had him slowly smiling. Something unmistakable passed between them. It was that look she managed to capture. She made a mental note to print out a copy of it for them later as a Christmas present.
Then Louis caught a good one of her and Francis. In his semi-drunken stupor while they played a game of beer pong—his idea, not hers, since he claimed that it was still a good game to play even on Halloween—he suddenly grabbed her from behind and dipped her so low that her wig nearly fell off as he kissed her deeply and without mercy. She fought against him for a good many seconds in protest but he held fast and soon she gave in. Even after when she was declared the victor.
The even better picture was when she slapped him again. It was definitely a keeper. One worth printing, framing, and hanging it in a spot for the whole world to see.
"How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?" Francis complained as he rubbed the same cheek she slapped earlier. Deep down he liked it when she got rough, but knew it was something he would never admit. Well, not in public that is.
The other one Louis captured was when Lisa came over, all clad in her sexy looking Catwoman costume that showed off more of her bust then the costume she wore the previous year. Ellis's jaw practically hit the floor as he got to meet the woman who clocked Nick a good one. She scowled and hissed as she recognized Nick after a few moments—but not before she thought flirting with him was a good idea—and hollered something about how the King himself would be turning over in his grave from the way he was being disgraced by an asshole who seemed to have no respect for women. When he scowled back and backed away to avoid getting slapped, she went to talk business with Rochelle.
"Still got it," Nick said, adjusting his scarf. "Even if the bitch hates me. Cat's meow my ass. You okay, kiddo?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"You were checking her out, huh?" He mused.
"I was not!"
"Oh, come on," Nick egged on. "You were. Admit it! You talk about me practically being a dick for flirting with women when here you are staring at one like it was the first time you've ever seen pussy."
"Oh now that's jus' plain rude," Ellis retorted at the joke. "And uncalled for. No wonder she hit ya. Bonehead."
"Excuse me?" Nick looked at him above the rim of his shades. He hated nicknames. "What are you implying? That I can't flirt with a girl properly?"
"Well not without her wanting to hit or kill ya." Ellis pointed out.
"Wanna take that bet?"
Ellis raised an eyebrow in interest. "What? You gonna try your luck on her again? Jesus Nick, what if she kicks you in the balls this time instead of giving you another black eye?"
"I didn't mean her, stupid." Nick grumbled, feeling the ghostly touch of the old shiner from a year ago.
Ellis gave him a scornful look. "You want one from me instead? You promised you wouldn't call me that. Y'know how much I hate bein' called 'stupid' because I ain't."
"Okay, okay." Nick held his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you that. The bet that I wanna do is the next friend of Ro's to show up I want to flirt with just enough to where she won't do me any bodily harm, but warm-up to my charm before I shoot her down."
"That's still cruel."
"I haven't even told you how I would do it."
"I'm listenin'."
"Simple." He finished his third Bud and belched. "A lot of the girls' she works with are single, or so Francis says. So, since I figured that after what I did to Lisa last year she's more careful about who she flirts with. The rest of them or whomever else is showing up, may not even know about me or more or less know who I'm dressed as."
"So Elvis is gonna make his move on the next girl who walks through that door and it's fifty-fifty from there; either she will reject you or go along jus' enough to where when she really starts to fall under the King's spell, you drop the bomb."
"Exactly!. I say 'sorry, taken' and then plant you a big wet one. Right in front of her. Hell, I might even dip you for show…provided that my suit don't rip."
"Depends," Ellis said, looking him over for signs of any visible creases underneath the suit. "What you wearin' under that thing? Jus' boxers?"
"And shorts. Had to put on just enough clothing to smooth myself out and not freeze when we set the little bastards straight later."
"Reasonable enough. Okay, so what are we bettin' exactly? You win and you get to kiss me in front of Ro's friend as a way of insulting her for not watching out at how sly you are…and if you lose, you either get punched or kicked or whatever. Right?"
"Pretty much."
"Not much bettin' if there's nothin' in it for either of us. Even if I do get a kiss."
"Then what do you have in mind, Einstein?"
"I was thinkin' that if I win and you get shot down physically, I get to take that purdy car of yours to work every day for a week. But if you get shot down verbally, you get to take me out to lunch every day for a week at a place of my choice."
"Not much of a hard bargain, except for my car." Nick contemplated for a moment as he considered his options. "And if I win and manage to get the chance to break her heart…no complaining from you about anything for a week and you do all my laundry—including the dry cleaning. Deal?"
Ellis smiled. "Deal!"
It wasn't long until the next friend of Rochelle's showed to the party. Ellis had to whistle to Nick to announce her arrival since he was busy making himself a second hamburger. When Nick entered the living room Rochelle was introducing her to Coach and Louis who greeted the young lady like the gentlemen they were. Setting his plate of food aside, Nick slipped back into the persona of Elvis and gyrated his way over the small group.
"And who is this handsome man?" The blonde asked, eyeing Nick up and down.
Foxy nearly laughed at the look Nick was giving her. "You mean you don't recognize the King when you see him?"
"Oh, but I do." She giggled as Nick took her hand and kissed it in greeting. "I just never thought I would get to meet him in the flesh."
Ellis watched in amazement as the lady who was dressed as Black Mamba from Kill Bill fell under Nick's spell without a second thought. He couldn't hear them very well above the music but the look on her face as she conversed with Nick told him that he was in the process of losing the bet. Which was a bummer really. He was looking forward to borrowing Nick's car for a week.
The conversation kept going for a few more minutes once Louis and Coach went off for seconds and Rochelle went to use the bathroom, but not before taking a few pictures. All seemed to be leaning in Nick's favor until the slim blonde made a shocked face and a rather loud slap was heard above the music. Miller nearly bubbled out of Ellis's nose as she practically stormed off, some of the liquid eventually escaping his mouth and down his chin.
"Looks like I'm winnin' so far," Ellis declared as he wiped his chin clean with a napkin. "What happened?"
Nick smirked as he retrieved his plate of food. "She asked me for my name." He took a big bite of his hamburger.
"Oh, ouch. I guess she knew who you were without even thinkin' about it. She say her name?"
"Marie." Nick said around a mouthful of meat.
Ellis snorted with a chuckle. "Latest flame."
Elvis shot him a look. "Don't ruin the song for me."
Marty raised his bottle. "I'll drink to the fact that you jus' lost one."
"Oh but the night ain't over yet," he said stubbornly, "and I'm sure more of Foxy's friends are gonna show up."
Coach after awhile suggested they play the bobbing for apples game since there were more people present to make it more interesting. Even though it was a kid's game the adults didn't argue against not playing, except for Nick of course, who only stood by and took pictures as Ellis and Lisa dominated the game. Nick couldn't help but to watch Marie with a hint of jealousy as she watched Ellis. The kid took off his jacket and hat to not get them wet and when she caught sight of the tattoo, her demeanor changed. He understood that Ellis was a good looking young man, but it was the fact that she didn't know he was taken seemed to grind Nick's gears. Then again, she didn't know about him either.
When it looked like Ellis was about to win, Francis waited until the young man's face was in the water before dunking the kid's head in completely. He kept him there long enough for Louis to take a few snapshots as he fought back against the stronger man to let him up for air. Francis eventually let the boy go as Marie was suddenly in his face and demanded that he do so..
Ellis coughed up enough water into the kitchen sink until his face returned to its normal color. When he regained his composure and turned an angry eye over to Francis did the bigger man run for his life as the kid chased after him into the spacious living room; jumping onto his back and hanging on as he placed Francis into a sleep hold long enough for the man to finally sink to his knees and cry uncle. Zeus couldn't keep the camera still as John was suddenly at the mercy of Marty.
Especially when Ellis was so into his victory-revenge moment that he took off Nick's sunglasses and smashed their lips together. It gave Lisa and Marie the shock of their lives now that they knew Nick and Ellis were together.
In a way it was a big score for Nick.
Especially when he took it one step further and decided to dip the kid anyways, deepening the kiss as he heard one of them gasp in surprise.
By the third hour the trick-or-treaters were becoming more scarce. Since it was a school night it wasn't a surprise when the little booger eaters were showing up in smaller numbers. Which was good news for Rochelle who had packed enough goodie bags to have very minimal left over.
"Hey has Annie called?" Lisa asked Ro, twirling her whip in her hand. "She called me earlier and said that she has the remaining article for next week's journal."
"No, she hasn't." Rochelle admitted. "We're still missing a member of our party as well, although I don't think she'll even show at all since it's almost late. How long can you guys' stay?"
"Depends on how long you can keep partying." Marie said with a shake of her hips. "We still need to put the finishing touches on this week's article, but I figure it can wait until everyone goes home."
"You guys' sure?"
Lisa nodded. "Trust me. I don't need to show Nick again what it means to be a real man and own up to the fact that a woman kicked his ass. Even if he is gay…which is a shame. He's good looking."
Francis walked by the ladies with the boys' in tow. "It's nearly show time."
"Oh man I can't wait!" Ellis clapped his hands as he kept pace. "This is gonna be so awesome!"
"Easy, tiger." Nick said firmly. "Save it for them."
Lisa creased her brow as they all went outside. "'Show time?' Are they planning on showing off to the whole neighborhood how stupid they are?"
"No," Rochelle replied. "Remember the problem we had last year on Halloween?"
"Oh you mean those teenagers who egged the house and broke one of the windows?" Marie asked.
"Yeah, them. Broke two windows and one of them even placed rocks up the tailpipe to Francis's hog."
"What are they gonna do to them? Don't tell me that you invited us here to see if we can write a story about this."
"I wish, but no. For his sake and mine, we as journalists are gonna turn a blind eye to this and not mention anything about what Francis has up his sleeve. Besides, they can handle themselves."
"So does this mean we have the whole kitchen to ourselves?" Black Mamba asked hopefully.
Foxy nodded. "I think us girls' need to get our groove on and make some gelato shots. Who's with me?"
Outside Francis told everyone the plan of what they were going to do. It wasn't nearly the best plan of mice and men, but then again it wasn't the worst one either. He had the notion of what he had in mind but the idea itself needed more tweaking. The only one who had more of a clue other then Louis was Nick, only he wasn't really offering any more insight. After some debate with going with what was known, Ellis had an idea.
"I'm jus' sayin' why not?" He insisted. "The element of surprise is there, we jus' need to act on it."
"You know, that ain't half bad," Louis agreed, rubbing his chin in thought. "What do you think Francis?"
"I like it. Although we're gonna need Rochelle to help." Francis clapped the boy on the back. "Not bad, pip squeak."
"So where are the goods?" Nick asked, looking around.
Francis opened the coffin next to him. "In both of these." He gave them a moment to look at the armory. "If pip squeak's plan works, we're gonna have ourselves a very fun Halloween."
Nick whistled approvingly. "You surprise me again, McClane."
Coach wrinkled his nose. "You didn't exactly piss in one of their pools, did you?"
Francis gave him a sly smile. "No, but I was fresh out of chlorine."
Al chuckled at the joke. "All right, then let's get to it!" He turned to Ellis who was practically bouncing on his heels with excitement. "Help me move these, boy."
"Sure thing, Coach!"
As they prepared for battle, Francis grabbed one of items in question and looked it over with keen eyes. Finally, after two years of dealing with these punks and not being able to get the revenge he was owed—even if trying to get them last year with water balloons didn't help—it was going to happen.
"Come to papa, scumbags." John McClane muttered to himself.
It would be another hour or so until the Calvary finally arrived.
Instead of getting to work on throwing the goods they announced their presence rather loudly; laughing and hollering random obscenities. They paused just enough to take delight in the fact that the house looked deserted for the night for the lights were off both inside and out. Or at least no light was visible at all to indicate if anybody was indeed home. The only sounds that were heard was from the make-shift haunted house further down the street. It was perfect.
They figured they would throw the rest of the eggs that a couple in the group were carrying; scratch or even dent the two nice cars that were present at the curb regardless of who they belonged to, destroy the pumpkins that were lining the porch and quite possibly spray some graffiti on the windows and front door. It was indeed too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.
"How long until you think they'll come back?" The right-hand of the group, Johnny, asked everyone behind him. He kicked up his skateboard and held onto it.
"Fuck man, who cares?" The leader, Brandon, responded. He leaned against the handlebars of his 10-speed and surveyed the porch, deciding which item he wanted to destroy first. "I'd say let's just get this shit over with then get the hell outta here."
"I'm with Brandon," Steve agreed beside Johnny. "You would think after what we did that someone would be home waiting for us." His gaze lingered over to the blue machine. "Aw man. Look at this sweet ride! Since when did the douche buy a Mustang?"
"Probably not that long ago," Ryan mused. He got off his bike and set it by the car, looking into the windows. "She looks new."
"I prefer that bike of his. Now that thing is a ride!" Chris spoke up. He set his bike opposite Ryan's and adjusted the backpack he had on which carried some of the spray cans. "Aw, bummer. He didn't leave it out for me." He clicked his tongue. "What a shame. Really wanted to see if I could hotwire the thing."
Brandon snorted. "Stupid. You can't hotwire a hog."
"Hey I did to it to Ehren's, didn't I?" Chris shot back. "Bastard didn't even know it was missing until I went to go visit his mom."
Steve laughed. "Oh yeah. You weren't exactly there to sample some of her cookies now, were you?"
"I was too!" Chris argued. "She needed some yard work done since the bum wasn't gonna do it."
"Hey, hey guys. Stop it." Johnny interrupted. He sighed and placed his skateboard on the sidewalk. "If the man says he was there to help a lady out then it's true."
"Yeah and besides," Brandon turned to Chris with a sly smile on his face, "it's not his fault that he likes sloppy seconds. Don't'cha Chrissy-boy?"
"Fuck you, Brandon." Chris spat.
"Hey guys, I said stop it!" Johnny hollered. He waited until Ryan and Steve stopped laughing. "Since the guy ain't home may I suggest that we please get to having some fun with his house?"
"Well fuck, Johnny. Why didn't'cha say so?" Brandon said sarcastically. "Hey Chris, c'mere. Gimme one of them spray cans. I'm gonna spray a giant dick on that car."
"Dude, why?" Ryan asked as Chris approached with the backpack in hand. "It's a perfectly good car. Why ruin it?"
"Because I said so." Brandon retorted as he fished around for the right colored can. "Then when I'm done, I'm gonna take a couple of them pumpkins, piss in 'em and smash it on the porch."
"Gross, dude."
"What? You think that egging the house again is gonna make any kinda difference?" Brandon challenged. "Man, fuck you Ryan. Don't be such a fuckin' buzz-kill."
"I say once we're done, we light the coffins on fire." Steve suggested. He took out his lighter and played with it. They all followed him onto the sidewalk as he went to stand by Johnny, who made a face. "Dude, why not? The dumb fuck tried to get us last year with those water balloons and nearly succeeded! So why not light 'em on fire to prove a point?"
"Because you're not the one who nearly got butt-fucked last year, Steve-O!" A new voice yelled out. The boys' froze for a second before noticing the lone figure standing in the near-darkness on the porch. It was hard to make him out amidst the bare flickering light of the tiny candles in some of the pumpkins but there was definitely someone standing there. Once he leaned out from in-between the beams did he become more visible. "Looks like the circus is in town. Ain't some of ya too old to be trick-or-treatin'?"
"Holy shit!" Ryan muttered. "Where the fuck did he come from?"
"Lookin' for trouble now, are we?" The man asked cheekily, pushing up the brim of his a hat a bit. He had a southern accent that much was clear, but he definitely wasn't a resident of the house. "Sure hate to have my friends come home and see their house quite a mess. You guys still owe for the damage done from last year."
"Oh, yeah?" Brandon called out, taking a step forward. "What's it to you, hillbilly? The way I see it, it's five of us and only one of you. Why the fuck should we care about what damage we do when we can very easily kick yer ass?"
"Well now," the mystery man played along as he slowly walked along the porch, keeping an eye on them. "That's the million dollar question, ain't it? What if I decide that they need to know you boys' came back?"
Steve leaned in to whisper in Brandon's ear. "C'mon man. Let's just take him out now before he decides to call."
"No, he won't call them." Brandon crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. "I think he's bluffing. He can't take on all of us."
The man smiled as he stopped in front of the top step, leaning out and placing his hands on either support beams. Or at least it looked like he was smiling. "Wanna bet?"
"Fuck," Brandon snorted. He looked at each of his friends before turning his attention back to the smiling stranger. "What? You think you can win against the five of us, pussy? Come down from there and prove me wrong."
The man regarded him for a second. "Well, it's true that I ain't no match for all of ya's," he admitted, the smile never fading, "but I still can't allow ya to do any damage, neither."
Brandon snorted again and started laughing. "Oh my God. Seriously? You got balls now, big man?"
"Bigger then yers, I reckon."
Chris chuckled. The sound of it only angered Brandon further who took a few steps forward. "You want to come down here and say that again?"
The man shook his head. "I'm fine where I am, thanks. Why don't you boys' go on home and I never tell my friend that you were ever here?"
"Man," Chris muttered behind Johnny. "Why are we even wasting our time with this guy? Let's just jump him and get this over with."
"He's messing with us," Brandon said over his shoulder at him. "He knows he's no match for us, that's why he hasn't left the porch." He turned back to the smiling hick. "And what if we don't? What then?"
The man shrugged. "Then I guess I'll jus' have'ta teach you boys' a lesson."
Brandon guffawed. "Lesson? And what kind of lesson would that be?" He demanded, taking another step forward. "What, you gonna throw one of them pumpkins at us? Or come charging down here? I'd like to see ya try but I don't think you won't, and you know why?"
"Enlighten me."
Brandon narrowed his eyes. "Because I think yer chicken."
The smile faded. He looked taken aback as if what Brandon said to him was the only thing that truly offended him. He was sure the stranger was angry for he leaned forward a bit more and matched Brandon's tone as he asked, "What did you jus' call me?"
Brandon took yet another step forward, finally recognizing who he was dressed as and thinking it was the stupidest costume he'd ever seen.
"Chicken," he spat. "McFly."
Marty sneered. "Nobody…calls me—" he took off his hat and threw it to the side, grabbing an unseen object from beside him and proceeded down the steps towards them in a huff, holding it against him just as the house seemed to light up as if on cue; all the decorations came to life and suddenly the man wasn't alone. A fat cop appeared behind the bushes on the left while a man wearing glasses appeared on the right. Even the two coffins that Brandon was standing close to suddenly opened, startling him and the group as they came face to face with—Elvis? Baldy?—as they were holding squirt guns while the other two in the back were holding the same as Marty as he stopped in-between the coffins and aimed his weapon at them. "—chicken!"
Brandon was speechless, frozen in place. He couldn't decide which terrified him more; the sissy squirt guns, the paintball guns, or the fact that they all been had.
"YIPEE KI YAY MOTHER FUCKERS!" John McClane hollered as he let loose on them with the vinegar-loaded weapon, not giving any of them a chance to react. The man relished in the fact that the ambush worked for he kept on expressing his excitement by yelling out. The boys' stood there in shock as both McClane and Elvis—who joined in the fun by yelling out as well—unleashed the awful-smelling liquid before finally scrambling away to make their escape.
"Let's get 'em!" Marty yelled as he advanced on them, firing the paintball gun. Al and Zeus followed suit as John and Elvis relinquished their attack so as not to wet them. The punks who had bikes had trouble getting to them while the ones who had the skateboards, however, managed to make the faster escape.
Each of the delinquents pushed, limped really, through the pain and tried not to vomit from the smell as they attempted to run off; when the ones on the skateboards were too far away to take any more potshots, the ones that were hung back however, weren't so lucky as Marty, Al and Zeus knelt down in the middle of the street and really let them have it.
"Yeeeaaahhh! Die die die, my darlings! DIE!"
"This is for my fallen twinkie!"
"This God ain't gonna show no mercy!"
Eventually the fiasco ceased when the teens started ducking behind the parked cars lining the street. John and Elvis joined the other three as they watched them run away with their tails in-between their legs.
"And don't come back!" McClane yelled. "Fuck-heads!"
One of the boys' farther down suddenly darted into the middle of the street and, thinking that it was a safe enough distance, gave the adrenaline-pumped men the finger with both hands.
"Hey, that ain't dignified!" Marty exclaimed incredulously. He stood back up and much to everyone's surprise, started to run after the boy who nearly tripped over his own feet as he turned to flee. Once he was sure he was close enough since the boy had trouble running and more or less keeping his balance to do so, he stopped and took careful aim.
The few yellow paintballs that were shot in succession hit their mark right and true; in the back of the kid's head. When he fell onto the asphalt like a ragdoll did Marty lower his weapon and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Whose the chicken now? JACKASS!"
He went back to his friends who were soon joining him in the victory celebration of an ambush well-done. The multiple slaps on each other's backs echoed in the now quiet neighborhood as justice was finally done.
"That was a sweet shot, Eastwood!" McClane congratulated him. "Where'd ya learn to shoot like that?"
"7-11." Marty replied with a big grin.
Foxy, Catwoman and Black Mamba met the team at the porch as they marched up the walkway.
Francis placed his squirt gun by the front door and gave his lady a big kiss. Ro smiled despite the fact that what they did not only was dangerous but very much illegal. Still, she wasn't going to deny him the celebration he deserved since tomorrow she was pretty sure the real cops would be coming by. "Sha-zam," she replied softly when their lips parted. "Have I told you lately how much I love you? Especially when you're holdin' that thing?"
"And have I ever told you how much it turns me on when you help me commit a crime? You turned on the lights at the right moment, babe."
One by one the rest of the gang placed their weapon of choice by Francis's prized squirt gun as they headed back inside. When it was Ellis's turn to walk through the front door Nick grabbed onto his arm and spun him around, slamming his back against the wall.
"Nick, what—"
He was silenced as Nick suddenly was in his face, breathing heavily and placing his hands on either side of him. The intensity in his eyes took Ellis's breath away. "Shut up and kiss me," he growled seductively.
He obliged without a second thought as their mouths came together. Nick's lips were pressing into his hard enough to where he was sure he felt their teeth touch as tongues collided. They were in each other's arms in seconds as the anxiety from the battle was wearing off and lust took over. Ellis dared to moan as loud as he could when the music from inside started to play again as Nick roughly played with his hair with one hand while the other firmly groped and squeezed his butt cheek, bringing his leg up against the King's hip and running that same hand up and down the length of muscle.
"Seeing you kick that kid's ass was truly an American Dream and a big fuckin' turn on," Nick rasped said in-between kisses.
Ellis was beside himself as Nick ended the kiss and roughly stripped the boy of his jacket, only to make his neck the next victim of his brutal but spine-tingling kisses as he nipped and sucked at the sensitive skin.
"You're such a h-hound dog, Nick!" He gasped as his lover went back to rubbing his leg. He wanted to run a hand through the man's slicked hair, but thought better of it.
Nick however had no trouble messing up the kid's curls. "How about I take you right here, right now?"
The time traveler's mouth opened as he let out a choked cry when Nick nipped at his earlobe. "You gonna make me scream at eighty-eight miles per hour?"
The King let go of the piece of skin and hummed. "More of like sixty-nine in your case," he responded, pressing himself against his partner. "Although I think Mr. Fusion prefers to have some fun with your Flux Capacitor."
"Hey, who wants some gelato shots?" Francis yelled above the music, which was playing the Die Hard song by Guyz Nite, interrupting the lust-induced-pun-fest. Ellis chuckled despite the fact that the moment was ruined. "I say pip squeak gets the first one for making that sweet shot!"
Ellis put his jacket back on and zipped it up to hide the marks he was sure were there while Nick fixed his hair and adjusted his costume. "I guess the night ain't over yet," Ellis mused, fixing his own hair. He sighed contentedly. "I still have a bet to win."
"The way I figure it," Nick said as he checked himself. "Ro's got one more friend to show and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you win. It's bad enough that that punk wanted to spray paint my car, but it's another thing entirely when I imagine you driving it."
Ellis pretended to be hurt as Nick went inside. "You really think I would hurt the poor girl? I help keep her in shape."
The 'after-party' was taking place back in the kitchen where multiple shots were lined practically everywhere. True to his word Francis let Ellis take the first one. After a few rounds Francis started telling the story of what happened in a semi-slurred speech. As everyone listened to him exaggerate throughout the whole thing, with Louis and Coach interrupting every so often to correct the near-inebriated man, Ellis frowned.
"What?" Nick asked after slamming back his fourth shot. He was starting to feel somewhat buzzed but not enough to be off his rocker. "This is the best part where you coaxed that little bastard into calling you 'chicken.'"
"I forgot my hat." Ellis said. "It's still outside. I threw it when I was in full-character mode."
"I'll get it." Nick stopped him with a hand as the kid tried to walk past him. "You're the man of the hour for getting the last word in so stay here and stop Francis from butchering the story. Besides, I could use some fresh air. Hearing his voice is making me sick."
"Okay, but I'm drivin' us home later since you don't feel well."
"Uh uh," Nick protested as he waved a finger at him. "Nobody touches my car but me."
"Jus' go get my hat already."
"You know I really hate that hat, Marty."
"Thanks Biff, but I really don't care. I jus' feel naked without it."
"Not as naked as I'm gonna make you later." Nick muttered as he left the kitchen. Ellis didn't hear him make the snide comment as he joined in the fray of Francis's story time.
To be honest this was the best Halloween that Nick had had since…fuck, he couldn't remember. Aside from the fact that he was wearing the one suit he never really cared for, white or not despite what he told El, it did remind him of their ordeal of what they faced even though it was ages ago. He meant no disrespect to the King of Rock and Roll, he just preferred the black get-up over the white hip-hugging one. He even admitted to himself that he enjoyed the charade his boyfriend put on for him when it came to guessing that he was Marty McFly from the Back to the Future series.
Especially when the kid was completely clueless until the last minute that Nick knew who he was all along. What could he say? He was a dick and proud of it.
Francis and Louis were a riot all of their own. He knew who the big guy was without even thinking about it since the badge and shoeless feet were enough of an indication for Nick to guess at who he was; and when Louis came in to join the banter, Nick was able to figure out who he was too. He still took great amusement in the fact that it took Ellis, yet again, quite a while to get it. Rochelle wasn't half-bad herself, although it did surprise him a bit to see her dressed the way she was. The old saying 'you think you know a person' didn't quite cut it when it came to Ro. Coach even had him going after making the twinkie speech.
Then there was Lisa and Marie. Names he knew he could easily forget, but with bodies he was sure he would still remember. He didn't regret what he did to Catwoman last year, black eye or not, but he expected more of an easy kill when it came to Miss Kiddo. Well, it was until she shot him down. Playing a couple of stupid games with those two lingering was enough to nearly kill his mojo.
He couldn't even decide if the highlight of the night was when they popped out of their hiding places to deal with the punks and basked in the glory of taking them by surprise, or when Ellis chased down the lone straggler and give him a brain tumor.
No. The real highlight of the night was going to be the sounds of ghostly noises coming from a haunted bedroom as Elvis was going to give Marty a true Halloween treat.
But first he had to retrieve that stupid hat from the porch.
Nick paused long enough to look at the left-over snacks that were still on the tables in the living room. He was about to munch on something that looked edible when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned his head to look.
And dropped the item he was holding.
Oh.
Fuck.
Priscilla.
He felt at that moment that he needed a defibrillator unit to revive him since what he was seeing was something that would truly make Elvis Presley himself turn over in his grave—if not come back to life completely since Nick nearly shit a brick. Another one of Ro's friends had arrived and was standing in the doorway, looking at him.
If he couldn't win the bet against Ellis, he could certainly tie it.
He stopped his jaw from dropping and kept the drool at bay as his heart skipped a couple beats and the air left his lungs.
She was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. From head to toe and back again…she was breathtakingly gorgeous.
He straightened as he looked her over to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Her long brunette hair was tied back and braided in a metal-looking contraption that showed off her facial features beautifully amidst the light make-up she wore that brought out her cheekbones and eyes—or at least he thought so behind his shades—the outfit itself was enough to make Lisa and Marie an after-thought for it seemed to be made of the same metal material as the hair piece.
And holy shit did it reveal nearly everything but almost nothing! Almost as if the costume she wore was made especially for her.
Priscilla Presley did indeed arrive.
Instinctively once he was done admiring her curves, and not necessarily her hips per say, Elvis Presley himself seemed to have returned from the dead and possessed a vulnerable Nick for he fixed his hair and smirked as he walked on over.
"Hey, baby." The King drawled. Up close she looked even better. To hell if he was going to lose to Ellis over this one. "Why don't you take a gander at the King?"
At first he thought that she would reject him immediately since he approached her without giving her much of a chance to say who she was. But when she wasted no time in going along with his act, admiring his features as she explored him with her eyes before finally touching him, she hummed almost seductively and he felt his shoulders relax. He could see a few goose bumps prickle across her skin as he lightly touched her shoulder with his fingers and trailed them down her arm. If only her metal bikini top wasn't made of that material…
The party in the next room got louder but Nick didn't notice nor did he care; his gaze was fixated on the young lady standing in front of him and how she was making him feel from the light touches and the curious gaze as he watched her do so. Her fingers touching the rhinestones. For a brief moment he allowed his mind to wander off as her fingers did the exploring; any other time and place he would've gladly taken and drilled her into the mattress as far and hard as humanly possible. To hear her scream and moan and cry out as he dominated her into oblivion was enough to make him feel a bit warm inside his shorts.
Especially when she took either end of his scarf and gently moved it back and forth around his neck, looking up at him seductively with one eyebrow raised.
Oh yeah. He was definitely feeling something. The King would be proud.
He was about to make another Elvis inquiry when a cat-call whistle sounded from behind, momentarily breaking him out from his daydreaming and back into reality.
"Whoa!" Francis exclaimed in surprise. "Slave Leia! Nice costume, Zoey!"
Nick's head snapped around to look at him, eyes as wide as Ellis's open mouth, Elvis disappearing completely. Now his heart stopped. "WHAT?"
"You flirtin' with her?" Ellis asked incredulously, looking back and forth between them and not believing what he was seeing. He couldn't believe that Nick had the balls to flirt with the one person he would never, ever touch, even if he heavily relied on how unrecognizable he looked and they were the last two people on earth—what the hell was he thinking? What the hell was she thinking and to be wearing that? "What in God's name is the matter with you, Nick?"
Zoey's head snapped towards him. "WHO?"