Nick fixed his jacket and looked at his boyfriend. "Ellis, can you pass me the black tie?"
"Nick, you do realise we are just going to the diner."
"I want to look good."
"You always look good" smiled Ellis, walking over and giving him a quick kiss. "Don't worry 'bout the tie. It's one less item of clothing I have to get off you when we get back" he smirked.
Nick raised a brow. "Oh yeah."
"Oh yeah I mean-"
"Can you two hurry up?"
Ellis' eyes went wide and he bit his lip. "Ro is cranky."
Nick groaned. "She could have just walked down without us. Probably Francis bitching again."
"I heard that Nick!" Francis called out.
"Whatever."
"I heard that too."
Nick sighed.
"Hurry up Suit."
Ellis smiled. "You look jus' perfect, so don't go worryin' none, okay Nick."
Nick kissed him chastely. "Thanks."
They walked out from their room.
Ro was smiling, Francis was frowning, which wasn't totally unusual. "Let's go." He said, holding Rochelle's hand.
She smiled. "So romantic."
"Pfft" Nick rolled his eyes.
"Shut up Suit. Don't see you holdin' Ellis' hand" Francis sneered.
Ellis blushed, slightly embarrassed that he had been brought into their stupid argument once more.
Nick grasped Ellis' hand. "Shut up Grease-"
"Can we not argue for once?" Ro snapped. "Goddamn, you're like five year olds."
Francis chuckled. "When you were five Nick, Ellis wouldn't have event been born. Cradle-snatcher."
"Um, same for you and Rochelle, dumbshit."
Rochelle rolled her eyes.
Nick walked closer to Ellis. Ellis smiled and kissed Nick's cheek. "Love you."
"How romantic" Francis mocked.
"Fuck off Francis" Nick huffed.
"If you didn't realise, we are eating at the same place and we live in the same fuckin' apartment."
Nick sighed. There was no way to beat Francis in an argument. Especially when it got stupid.
Ellis, on the other hand, wasn't fazed by their arguing. He smiled and chatted to Ro about her job and what the chances of running an ad in the next papers edition for the garage.
"Are Louis and Zoey gonna be here?" Rochelle asked Francis.
"Not sure Sugar."
Nick raised a brow.
"Do you have a nickname for Ellis?" Francis mocked.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Duh."
"Bet it isn't as romantic as 'Sugar'."
"It is."
Francis scoffed, not even bothering to ask. He looked at Ellis. "You have a nickname for Sourpuss over there?"
"'Course I do!" Ellis grinned. "Its Hun, or Darlin'" he smiled.
Nick smiled.
"Which one you like more Suit?"
Nick rolled his eyes. The first of the two nicknames that Ellis had given him was 'Hun' so he really liked that because it was slightly nostalgic. "Hun."
"Okay." He leaned over to Nick as they entered the diner. "What drink are you getting, Hun-?"
"Say that to my boyfriend again and I will smack you" Ellis warned.
Francis, surprised, shuffled back to Rochelle who ignored him.
Nick smiled and squeezed Ellis' hand.
Ellis smiled back. "Love you."
"Francis!" Zoey called out. "Over here!"
"Sweet! Window table."
"You shouldn't be allowed to sit at the window table" Ro sighed. "Scaring away everybody when you look out the window. Idiot."
"Hey-!" he groaned.
"Hi Zoey" Ro said, smiling and giving her a quick hug.
Louis nodded. "Hi Ro, Francis."
"Nick and Ellis are here too."
He looked next to Francis at the third couple. "Hi there guys."
"Hey Louis" said Ellis, grinning. "How are you?"
"Good thanks. Gonna have to get your advice for my car. It's been making strange sounds."
"I thought there was a cat stuck in it" Zoey said. "So I checked the engine, but-"
"-it's the car, not a cat" Louis finished.
She nodded in agreement, linking her fingers with Louis'.
Nick frowned. A cat? Seriously? What the fuck?
"I will come round tomorrow an' have a look after work if you want?" Ellis suggested.
"Thanks Ellis."
Zoey smiled. "How have you all been?"
"Good" said Ellis. "You?"
"I've been well, yeah."
They all sat down around the table. Francis happily taking the window seat. He looked out the window, as usual.
Nick rolled his eyes as Francis made faces out the window at passers-by. "Ro, tell your child to behave."
Ro looked at Nick, eyebrow raised. "Don't tell me how to raise my kids. Asshole."
Ellis chuckled. "Aww Nick, you ain't pissin' of Ro again are you?"
"What the hell? Why are you siding with her?"
"Cause, if I don't she will kick us out of the apartment."
"Like that would even be a bad thing" Nick murmured to himself.
Ro rolled her eyes. She looked at Francis and saw he was watching a woman with a pram. "I hate kids" he murmured.
Ro slapped him. "I expect kids someday just so you know."
"Ugh, can't Nick and Ellis just have some?"
Zoey looked away from the small talk she and Louis were sharing to stare at Francis, a look of confusion plastered on her face. "Um, you do realise that neither of them can physically have a child?"
"Whatever."
Nick rolled his eyes. "I don't like them either, so we aren't having any."
Ellis just nodded. "We are waitin' for you guys to" he smiled.
Rochelle smiled at Francis. "See? We need to have a baby so Ellis and Nick can play uncle."
"Nope. Zoey should."
Zoey looked at Francis. "I am going to finish studying first. Louis has to get his business up and running. Then we might consider it."
"You'd have such cute kids" Ro smiled.
Francis rolled his eyes.
Ellis looked at Nick. "Wonder where Coach is?"
Nick shrugged. "Doesn't he have little league training tonight?"
"Oh yeah, so he does huh?"
Meanwhile…
Coach finally got out of having to talk to all the moms and dads at the kids training. One hour late though. His stomach was rumbling and he was having cravings only the deliciousness of late night junk food could kill.
He pulled up at his favourite Burger Tank restaurants drive thru and leaned out the window, looking directly into the box.
"What would you like to order?"
"Hmm… I would like a large bacon burger meal, with a side, nah, make that two sides o' large fries, and an' orange soda, no ice" he smiled.
"Certainly, that comes to $7.95, drive through please."
He drove through to the next window. He could barely contain his excitement. At the next window he was faced with a young, bored looking teen. "$7.95 please" she asked, holding out her hand.
"Wait a sec!" Coach exclaimed, remembering that he had coupons. He started digging through the compartments of his car. He found one for free large fries, and continued the search for one that warranted a free drink. Then he remembered he also had one for a free dessert. He should use them all now.
Once they had been found and retrieved, there were four cars behind him, drivers angry and probably as hungry as he was this late Wednesday night. He paid for his whole meal in coupons and retrieved the bags of greasy goodness. As he drove out of the car park area, he vaguely remembered Ellis jabbering about having dinner at the diner.
"Aw shit man, coulda got a feed there!" Then as a spur of the moment, he decided to stop by and see all his pals anyway and just eat the food he already had.
As he turned onto the road he saw a goddamn traffic jam up ahead. "What is this shit?" he asked, looking at the non-peak hour traffic car line up that had been caused. "Aww shit no." He ate one lot of fries and drank half his drink while he waited for the traffic to start clearing. After half an hour of crawling traffic he finally was able to drive to the diner to see the guys.
Until it started to rain, that was. He was starting to feel really unlucky. All of a sudden, a herd of little ducklings started to cross the road. Coach knew that on this dark evening they may not get seen and could end up dead, which frankly, made him sad. "Oh man, not the lil' duckies!" he stopped the car, turning the hazard lights on and started to herd the fluffy babies across the road, glad that the team he was trainings shirt colours were bright blue and orange. Nice and bright. When the ducks had made their way across he walked back to the car, proud of his accomplishment for the day and ate the second lot of fries on his way to the diner.
Once there, he found a car park, easier than he had his coupons, and proceeded to walk inside, hands full of fast food bag and soda.
He spotted the others at a window table, as usual, and made his way over. "Hey, hey, hey!" he grinned.
"You made it!" grinned Ellis, who was eating a rather large burger.
Coach sat down and started eating his burger, until Nick questioned him in his bitch voice (not that Coach would say it to his face in fear that it would probably make him bitch more) why he was running so late.
That was when Coach got to tell his story of triumphs and tribulations. "It all started at the Lil' league. Parents kept me back wantin' to talk. I was hungry on the way, so I decided to stop at the Burger Tank where I remembered I had coupons. Finally got my food an' then got stuck in traffic. Then the baby ducks needed rescuin'. Then I got here. Man, I am glad. Rarely see you guys these days with the trainin' an' all."
"I know man!" Ellis agreed. "Have so many stories to tell ya-"
"Excuse me Sir, you can't eat food in here that wasn't bought at the diner" said a nervous looking waiter.
Coach groaned. All that driving around for no reason. "Fine. I'll jus' be goin'."
"Can't he jus' stay this once?" Ellis asked.
"Please?" Ro agreed.
"I'm sorry guys, I'd say yes, but my manager is in."
By the time Ro went to look back at Coach he had already rushed out the door.
At least at his house he could watch recorded football reruns.
…
"Man, Coach is gone an' that's jus' shit" Ellis sighed. His burger had long been finished, but he was tired, and when he was tired he whinged and told more stories, quite often the ones he had previously told.
"We are gonna go back to the room" Nick said.
"Okay, see you guys later" said Zoey. "It was nice to see you two again.
"Agreed" Ellis smiled jovially. "Man, hangin' out with y'all is so much fun. See y'all next time."
"Friday night" Louis reminded.
"See-"
Nick dragged him away, not saying another word. Ellis would say goodbye a million times otherwise. Nick had made that mistake too many times before.