Puppy Love
Summary: Snippets from the love story of Nell and Eric, and a puppy who witnessed it all. Neric oneshot, complete.
Author's Note: Rated for implied adult situations. Lines indicate time jumps. Many of the little details were inspired by a variety of Tumblr posts. Enjoy! For anyone who's wondering, I picked out the name "Donovan" because of Colonel Donovan, who was the founder of what is now the CIA, and I felt like Nell would have appreciated that. Also, yes, Jemma is meant to be Simmons :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing – not even a puppy.
Eric knocked on the door, straightening his button-up shirt as he waited for his date to answer. His eyebrows furrowed as he heard barking and what he had to assume were dog paws rush toward the door. His hands dropped to his sides as the door swung open, unleashing a beautiful, bouncy golden retriever puppy. Eric knelt slowly and held out a hand for the dog to sniff.
Nell leaned against the doorway, watching them interact. She waited patiently for her dog to decide whether or not he approved of Eric. Although the technical analyst didn't know, Nell's beloved dog had yet to approve of anyone she brought home. Finally, the dog held out a paw, which Eric shook gleefully before his new four-legged friend trotted back into Nell's apartment.
"I see you've met Donovan," Nell observed, hiding the smile that would reveal her joy.
"He'll be quite a big dog for such a small person," Eric responded, standing nervously. "You ready to go?"
"Just let me grab my bag."
"Nell?" Eric called out, knocking on the door once again. "Nell, please. I know I screwed up, and I have no right to ask you to forgive me, but please. Open the door." He heard Donovan paw at the door and brightened, considering another idea.
"Can you do something for me, Donovan? I know that Nell doesn't want to see me right now, but I need to apologize for what happened today. I should have told her about my relationship with Jemma. It's just...I haven't seen Jemma since the day that I woke up to an empty apartment all those years ago. I never thought she would walk back into my life." He paused to take a breath.
"I thought I was in love with her when we were together, but the way I felt about her was nothing compared to how I feel about Nell. The truth is, I love Nell. I just haven't had the guts to tell her." He heard Nell gasp behind the door. "Will you help me tell her, Donovan?" The door handle clicked. Donovan slipped out of the apartment as soon as the door cracked open and trotted around Eric's ankles. He watched the dog for a moment before lifting his eyes to see Nell standing in the doorway, just as she had the first night that they had gone out. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Do you mean that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"With all my heart," he promised.
Scratch. Scratch.
"Donovan's awake," Eric groaned, refusing to open his eyes in the hopes that the puppy would go away and he could go back to sleep.
"He wants to go outside," Nell explained, though she made no effort to get up either, choosing instead to snuggle further into his chest.
"I got that part. Does he know that it's not even 6 o'clock yet?" Nell shook her head, her hair tickling his mouth and nose.
"Can you take him?" she pleaded.
"He's your dog," Eric pointed out even as he began to untangle his legs from hers.
"But I would have to get dressed if I took him," Nell argued, turning over to face him. "I don't know how much the neighbors would appreciate seeing me wearing nothing but your shirt," she smirked. Her fingers traced circles on his bare chest. "Please?"
"I'll be back soon," he consented, kissing her forehead as he climbed out of bed and rummaged through the pile of clothes on her floor to find his sandals. He slipped out of the bedroom to find Donovan sitting patiently on the other side of the door.
"Good morning to you, too."
"Nell?" Eric called as he unlocked the door to her apartment. Donovan trotted up to him happily. He dropped the keys into his pocket before he leaned down to scratch behind the dog's ears, carefully balancing a box in his other hand. "Nelly?" he tried, standing. He peeked in the bedroom and kitchen quickly, Donovan following at his heels. "Guess she's still out to dinner with Kensi and Talia," he decided.
Once he was certain that the apartment was empty, Eric began to unpack the items in his box. He set Nell's table with a tablecloth, dessert plates, and candles. He gently pulled out two individually packaged cupcakes, setting one on each plate. He reached into his pocket and removed a ring box. He gently removed the ring from its box and placed it on top of the icing on one of the cupcakes. As a final touch, he pulled silver plate covers out of the box and covered the cupcakes just as he heard Nell's key turn in the lock.
"How was dinner?" Eric asked, kissing her cheek.
"It was great," Nell smiled. "What did I miss around here?" she asked suspiciously, glancing at the table.
"Come and see," Eric invited. He gulped as he led her to the table. "M'lady." He bowed extravagantly and held her chair out as she sat. Nell gasped when she uncovered her cupcake. Hearing her, Donovan jogged to join them. Eric knelt down beside her chair, and Donovan sat beside him.
"Nell, from the first case we worked together, there has always been something special about our partnership. We were partners and friends long before I found the courage to ask you out."
"It took you long enough," Nell interrupted, giggling through the tears that had started to flow down her cheeks.
"I got around to it eventually, and now I can't imagine not having you in my life. I want nothing more than to fall asleep beside you every night, and wake up with you in the morning." Eric paused. Donovan nudged him encouragingly. With one hand, he reached for Nell's cupcake, while the other held her hand. "Will you marry me?"
"Absolutely."
Donovan nudged Eric's foot, which had slid off the couch. The cool touch of the dog's nose jolted Eric awake, and he nearly fell to the floor. His hand caught on the coffee table just in time, and he pushed himself back onto the couch.
"I get it, Donovan. You don't want to have me as a roommate. Unfortunately, Nell feels the same way right now." Donovan whimpered. Eric rolled his eyes. "Fine, hop up. But if you have a running dream and start kicking me, you're going back on the floor."
"Donovan. Here boy," Eric called as he opened the door to the new, larger apartment he and Nell had moved into. Donovan ran to him eagerly, excited to have his family back in the new home. Eric led him to the couch and patted it gently, inviting Donovan to join him. "Now listen to me, Donovan. In just a minute, Nell is going to come through that door with someone very special. She might be a little smelly, and a little loud, but she's here to stay, ok?" Eric gently held Donovan back as the door opened to reveal Nell, holding the hand of a little girl.
"Donovan, meet your new sister," Nell announced, leading her to the couch.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and let me know what you think :)