A/N: Thank you to all who read even if you didn't review! But I really would like more reviews to tell me how I'm doing!! Anyway, second chapter starts now!
Italics mean a flash back; "Italics in quotations" mean thoughts.
Ellis rose from his peaceful slumber as he looked to his right and saw that nobody was there. He looked around and panicked for a moment until he heard the sound of the shower running. His mind returned to his thoughts only a few hours ago and he felt tears about to fall yet again, but bit his lip and held them back.
A snowball flew past his head as Ellis ducked back behind his wall of snow laughing happily. Another flew past him as he popped back up and ran over to Nick's small fort and jumped over the wall. He landed on top of Nick and took a handful of snow and threw it in the older man's face. Nick laughed quickly and took Ellis' hands and flipped him over on his back. Nick then laughed a more hearty, deep, and joy filled laugh as he proudly posted himself above the younger man. At that moment Ellis realized, that he loved this man, and it had grown too far to even think about going back to what they had before.
Nick stepped out of the bathroom, one hand holding the towel he clutched around his waist and one hand with another towel drying his hair. "His hair looks so good all messed up like that." Ellis thought to himself while soaking in the beautiful sight before him.
"Mornin, El." Nick said to the younger man as he pushed the thoughts of how cute Ellis looked bringing himself back from a good night's sleep. His hair was sticking up in random places and his chest puffed out and his muscles flexed has he gave a loud yawn.
"Mornin, Nick." Ellis replied back. "Where're we headed today?" He pulled the covers off of himself and stole glances at Nick as he put on his clothes, he couldn't help himself, and it couldn't harm the other in any way.
"I don't know, how are you feeling about an aquarium? There's one close by to here, only about an hour out of the way and we can keep on our path to New York from there?" Nick asked to the other whose face immediately lit up at the question. His heart gave fluttered at the smile that rose on the mechanics face.
"That would be great, Nick! I've always wanted to see sharks and stuff! I'm gonna take a shower." He, almost, shouted as he jumped off the bed and grabbed a towel and jumped into the bathroom.
Nick finished dressing, a pair of fitted blue jeans, a t-shirt with blue and green designs and a grey track jacket; he got up from the chair to slip on a pair of black converse and grabbed his wallet and keys as he began to pack up his belongings into his backpacks. He heard the shower start again and imagined the other man in the shower, glistening beads of water making their way down his body. He closed his eyes and looked towards the bed where they lay the night before and then made his way over to it.
He grabbed the pillow that Ellis used and inhaled the scent of the man he longed to hold in his arms and call his own. It smelled of sweat and honey, an odd combination but coming from Ellis made it all the more beautiful and intoxicating. He placed it back down and willed his heart to slow down as he continued packing his stuff together.
He heard the water turn off as he made his way out the door with his bags to put into the black Cadillac CTS-V that he purchased immediately after being released from the CEDA center. He would not be walking around and he did not want a cheap car on his hands that he would hate later on. He opened the trunk and placed the bags next to the silver case that contained a pair of handguns and an emergency kit, it was better to be prepared for the worst if it came to it.
He closed the trunk of the car and watched the snow fall slowly around him. He saw a couple of kids throwing snow balls at each other while their parents tried to get them to stop while failing miserably.
The snowball he threw just missed Ellis by an inch, he laughed as he saw the other duck behind his little wall. The large wall he had built would be more protection than that stupid little thing. To his surprise he felt Ellis jump on top of him and push him back into the snow and laughed a small laugh as snow was pushed in his face at the cute attempt that the younger man had tried. To his advantage he had much better upper body strength and easily flipped Ellis over on his back and looked down into the face of the man before him. His eyes held such brightness and his face were structured so perfectly that he would be attractive for many decades to come. He felt his heart flutter and began to laugh at the situation but in his mind he realized that something changed at that moment about how he felt towards Ellis and there was no turning around.
He shook his head and made his way back into the motel room and caught a glimpse of Ellis pulling on a pair of underwear, he stopped in his tracks and couldn't move, all he could do was stare. The perfectly defined muscles of his back was a given, working with cars and having to lift many heavy things would easily give you defined muscles, but he what he didn't expect was the⦠lower region of his back that fit so snugly and perfectly into the low-cut briefs he was pulling on. He closed his eyes at that point and put his hand over his face as he made his entrance known to Ellis.
"Ellis are you decent?" He asked although he knew the answer already.
"Yea, Nick." He answered. And Nick brought down his hand and opened his eyes. He wasn't really prepared then either for the sight of the slight dusting of brown hair that lay on top of Ellis' pecs or the perfect happy trail that led from his navel to the top of the underwear he just put. Ellis pulled the red t-shirt, which snug very tightly, to his body and then grabbed a pair grey jeans along with a black zip-up hoodie.
"Ellis, get your stuff in your bags, we have to head out if you want to see the sharks and jellyfish." Nick said with humor and happiness in his voice.
"I'm hurryin', Nick! Just hold on!" Ellis said as he put his getting ready into high gear, he pulled on a pair of socks and the Addidas. Ellis then pulled on the grey beanie that lay on top of his bag. "How do I look?" He said as he stood in the clothes that Nick had helped him purchase because he 'didn't have anything respectable.'
"You look good," He paused for a second to see if Ellis' face would show anything. "But we need to jet and get on our way to the aquarium." Ellis threw the last of his belongings into the duffle bags and threw one to Nick and held one himself.
Nick opened the back door of the car and threw one bag in while Ellis threw the other and then got into the driver seat while Ellis slipped into the passenger seat. The engine of the car roared and the car came to life, the navigation popped up and Nick placed the route to the aquarium as the next destination and pulled up to the front of the motel.
He then jumped out and went to pay the manager the money they owed, and as he looked towards the car he saw Ellis smile as he played with the seat warmer and the radio stations. He felt his stomach turn again and felt his heart rate increase and before he realized it he spaced out as the woman behind the counter was trying to hand him back his change.
"Oh, I'm sorry." He said as he grabbed the bills from the man and stuffed them into his wallet.
"It's perfectly fine. I see the way you look at him, you must be so smitten." Said the woman while she gave Nick a rub on the arm.
"Yeah, but it won't make a difference because I know it's hopeless to wish for something that can never happen." He said as he slid his wallet back into his pocket and opened the door.
"Never say never, kid. You don't know what might prove you wrong, that much I've learned myself." She said just before Nick stepped out the door.
Nick stepped back into the car and put it into gear and pulled out on the road.
"What was she talkin' to you bout, Nick? You looked awful sad." Ellis asked, worried about the man driving.
"Nothing El, nothing." He said as he pulled onto the highway.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this next update. Please review and tell me what you want to see, because I have a very nice plan for this story but need a couple more ideas to make it build, so help me out!
