Time frame: After rescue, late august
Rating: M for language and sex
Established relationships: Nellis
Description: Nick is trying to be nice, decides to make Ellis an offer he can't refuse, new pet, garage shenanigans
Nick's eyes pulled open at the sudden pressure in his lap, looking up to see Ellis straddling his hips, goofy grin on his face like always.
"Mornin." He said.
"What time is it?" The older man groaned.
"Best time of the day, just barely sunrise." Ellis answered.
"Why the hell am I awake at just before sunrise on my day off?"
"Cause, darlin. I wanted to show ya something," Ellis cocked his eyebrow, "somethin cool."
Nick sighed. It was almost impossible to be mad at the southerner, even though Nick would love to have been left to sleep a bit longer.
"What is it?"
Nick's eyes followed the younger man's movements as something was placed into his hand. He held the object out in front of him, examining it.
"A leaf? What the hell is this for?" Nick's eyebrows pinched together, confused as he looked to Ellis for some sort of answer.
"What color is it?" Ellis asked, encouraging the other to participate.
"Uh," Nick eyed the leaf a bit more closely, "yellow...and a bit of brownish."
"It's officially autumn, Nick. That fell outta one of the trees this morning." Ellis was happy as could be about his recent discovery.
"Are you fuckin kidding me?" Nick was not nearly as entertained, "And did you go outside dressed like that?" He motioned toward Ellis's body, clad in his underwear and a t-shirt.
"Yep. I heard a noise." Ellis beamed.
"So, you went out to investigate a noise practically naked? What are you, a girl from a horror movie?"
"I aint a girl-"
"Ya think? That's fucking apparent, being that those underwear you got on don't leave a lot to the imagination." Nick was right. Ellis had on a pair of white boxer briefs, very snug except for around the waist where they were stretched out.
"Well, I coulda gone naked." Ellis smirked, pulling his t-shirt off and tossing it across the room. "Would you like that?"
"You sexy little minx..." Nick sighed, sitting up and flipping the younger man onto his back in one fluid motion. The two wrestled for dominance across the surface of the bed until they ended up rolling onto the floor with a loud thud and Nick once again had the upper hand.
"Your hip okay, old man?" Ellis was a snippy little shit this morning.
"That depends. Is your ass okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, it's fine. I landed on my back." It was the younger man's turn to be confused.
"Remember your answer and we'll see if it matches up with the one you give me in about 20 minutes."
Nick stood in the shower later that morning, eyes closed and body relaxed in the stream of hot water. Ellis' arms wrapped around his waist and his chest pressed into the older man's back. He'd place an intermittent kiss to the gambler's neck or cheek and they stood there in silence, still enjoying the effects of morning sex. Only moments ago, Nick had his young companion's back pressed firmly into the carpet as he pounded into him above. His hands started out bearing down on tanned, muscular thighs as he tried to get the deepest push, but within minutes it changed. His left hand supported the arch of Ellis' back while his right was linked with Ellis' fingers over his head as Nick towered over him. This was their deepest symbol of intimacy, when the mechanic would initiate holding hands. It did nothing by way of sexual pleasure for either of them, and Nick had never once held hands during sex with anyone before Ellis, but he liked it. This barely there expression of love was what made the conman realize he was in love at all. They'd been going at it as per the usual at the dawn of their relationship, and for no reason at all, Ellis reached down and took Nick's hand into his, giving it a squeeze and looking up into confused eyes. Holding hands, this was Nick's "I love you" and Ellis knew it.
Holding Nick's hand was Ellis' wordless warning, depending on the way he held. Gently taking his hand signaled that Nick was being too rough and Ellis wanted more passionate sex. Squeezing his hand indicated that he was close to finishing, a signal he'd given off this time as well as many.
"Nick" Ellis panted, turning his head into the crook of his elbow.
"Baby, look at me. I want to see your pretty face when you come for me." Nick begged before dazed eyes met his.
Nick finished, filling his partner's body like he loved to do. Ellis was the first lover he'd had without having ever used a condom. It was initially his rule, considering the amount of women he slept with in the past. He never wanted to be a father, and never knew whether or not he could trust girls to be clean. He would have insisted with Ellis, too, had it not been for the apocalypse making that an unrealistic expectation.
"El?"
"Yep?" The southerner answered, bliss in his voice.
"I wanna say something to you, so listen."
Nick took a deep breath.
"You make me happy, kid. The closest I've ever been to being happy and I don't know what the hell it is about you. You're a goddamn goof and I want to yell at you all the time, but I don't because...goddamn it, Ellis." Nick broke off.
"I know."
"No. I mean, I want to be with you...keep you around for a while. I'm not good at this shit at all. Believe it or not I had someone else write my wedding vows for me. I can't even tell you things, but that doesn't mean that there are no things to tell. You know what I mean?"
"I think so." The southerner's voice was not indicating that he understood.
"I don't want to lose you. I want to do something to show you that you're not...just an option and I don't picture being with a girl when I'm with you. I want to be with you because the way you make me feel... it's just fucking weird. I could see you and me...you know? Doing things later in life?"
"You're not proposin to me, are you?" Ellis asked, bracing himself for that possibility.
Nick laughed.
"What do I look like? I'm a horrible person to be married to, for one. For two, we live in the damn south. I think the 'no dudes marrying dudes' law still stands."
"So you're just tryin to say you love me?" Ellis questioned, arms tightening around his boyfriend's waist.
"Yeah that," Nick agreed, "and not just that. I want -don't tell another goddamn soul as long as you live- but I want you to try doing to me what I do to you."
"Beg pardon?"
"I want...you inside of me." Nick looked at the floor of the shower, embarrassed in front of Ellis for the first time.
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Ellis replied to his request.
"You sure about that? At first, it hurts like a bitch."
Nick didn't need to be reminded of that. He knew it hurt. He remembered their first time, the first time they'd actually completed the deed and he was oblivious to the fact that, while he was feeling pleasure, his partner was trying to tough it through pain even after a not-so-thorough stretching. It only became apparent after he pulled out to discover a thin coat of blood. He felt guilty about it and over time he learned how to read his partner's body, being that the southerner's jabber jaw didn't translate into sex. He'd rather lay there in pain than tell Nick to slow down, rather go without getting off than ask Nick to aim at a different angle. Nick was working on that, pulling Ellis out of his shell.
"I'm sure."
"Well alright, then. But I can't go again for a while and I gotta get ready for work." Ellis started to explain.
"I didn't mean I wanted to go again right now. I couldn't if I tried. You wear me out, goober."
The two dried off and while Ellis was getting dressed, Nick was standing in his underwear in front of the bathroom mirror, turning to the side and standing up straight.
"I am so goddamn fat." He groaned.
"Psh...you got a disorder cause you're sexy as all get-out." Ellis countered in complete disagreement.
Nick smiled. Ellis was right in all honesty. Nick did gain an inch or two around his waist and wasn't as fit as he was in prison, but that was over ten years ago. His form was still hard, not flabby and he still looked like a man that could kick the shit out of somebody. Ellis wouldn't have crossed him if they'd only just met.
The older man padded out to the kitchen, wanting coffee when he stopped in his tracks, eyeing the front door where something was suddenly out of place.
"Ellis?" He called.
"Yep?" The mechanic called back from down the hall.
"Why is there a cat on the rug?"
"I was meanin to tell you. That was the sound I heard when I went outside this mornin. It's a Russian Blue, isn't it cute? Poor critter looks like its starving to death." The younger man seemed so excited.
"I'm not cleaning up after it, so we're clear."
"Nah, I got it. Just keep Leningrad company while I'm gone." Ellis confirmed.
"You named it?"
"Yeah."
"Leningrad?"
"Yeah, it sounded like a Russian thing, and since the cat's breed suggests it, ya know?" Ellis explained, coming back down the hall, dressed and ready to leave.
"It sounded like a Russian thing? You have no appreciation for history or world geography for that matter." Nick scoffed.
"Hell, history was never my thing. You obviously got me mistaken with Keith again. Guy's a real American history nut job, walkin Britannica." Ellis explained, pulling on his hat and bending down to pet the cat.
"You're really gonna make me keep track of this thing?"
"It aint a thing, Nick. It's an animal. Didn't you ever have pets as a kid?" Ellis wondered.
He was met with a blank look.
"Man, that sucks. No wonder why you're such a damn grump. I had all sorts of animals when I was little. Dogs, cats, my mom had a horse. Keith's family had pigs and chickens and I had a rabbit once. Keith gave him to me for Easter. Snuck him into my jacket at church. Hoppy-shit went on to live for 8 years-"
"You named your rabbit Hoppy-shit?" Nick was trying to sound more annoyed than amused.
"Keith did. He never was good at names. He named one of his dogs Thing and another one Stick. See what I mean?"
"Go to work before I fucking knock you out." Nick's threat was idle, they both knew that and he offered the southerner a quick kiss goodbye before he was left in the house with the cat that just continued to stare at him.
"Hey, buddy. Your eyes creep me out. I never did like cats."
The cat continued to sit stalk still, and every couple of minutes, Nick would shift away from it, not liking to be stared at. Eventually he got up and took his coffee to the back room.
"Goddamn it, Ellis."
Nick spent half of the morning trying to pretend that the cat wasn't staring at him. The thing hadn't moved and it was unnderving. As soon as he was able to shoo it away from the door, he left, making his way over to where Ellis was working. He might as well at least drop by to see him, something he almost never did. It was right there along the same route he took to get coffee and cigarettes. He skipped the cigarettes today, because Ellis asked and he'd be able to smell the smoke on him. He didn't need a heart-healthy lecture today.
"Hey Goober." Nick called, stepping into the open door to the garage.
"Nick?" Ellis was surprised. "Somethin wrong, baby?"
The only other living person in the place was Keith, so Ellis felt like it was okay to be a little more open and affectionate with his boyfriend.
"No, why? That stupid cat creeps me out, so I decided, hey, bugging Ellis at work might be fun." He replied, cutting off his next sentence before he could start it. Instead he let the mechanic embrace him and give him a kiss. He noticed the slight cringe in the older of the two southerners and it excited him. He returned Ellis' hug and kissed him deeper, just out of spite. He made eye contact with the redhead as his hands slid down and gripped Ellis' hips.
"Whoa there. Take it easy." Ellis pulled away, smirking.
"I don't wanna." Nick winked.
"Keith, I'm gonna take my break now, k?"
"Uh huh." the other mechanic replied.
The two wasted very little time leaving the garage and heading around the back of the building to the space between it and another building. Nick wasted no time keeping up conversation. Something about the way Keith looked at him while he kissed Ellis had him in the mood. As soon as they were back far enough, he pressed the younger man against the wall, pinning him there as he explored a hesitant mouth with his own.
"Nick...what are you-"
"Shhhut up, Ellis." Nick answered, already starting to open his lover's coveralls.
"Someone might see." Ellis pleaded.
"Let 'em see." Nick urged, shutting the southerner up by turning him and shoving his front against the building, using one hand to pull the collar of his coveralls down enough to latch onto the left side of his neck while the right hand cupped his crotch, palming roughly.
"Aww, shit..." Ellis moaned, pulling his arms free of his sleeves as Nick pushed his coveralls down to his knees, pushing his shirt up in the same motion.
"Baby you got a rug burn on your back." Nick soothed, free hand stroking his lover's erection as he rutted his tented crotch against Ellis' backside.
"Mmm hmm." Was his reply, already too out of it to form complete sentences.
"Want me to stretch you?" Nick whispered between wet kisses to Ellis' neck.
"I thought...I was gonna..."
"Change of plan." Nick corrected, "I'm gonna bang you against this wall like that really big drum in a marching band."
Hell no, Ellis. You're not making me your bitch out here in the open.
He offered Ellis two of his fingers, pressing them against his lips until they parted and his sexy mechanic took them into his mouth, swirling his tongue around them until they were liberally coated with saliva.
"Good boy." Nick sighed, slipping one finger into his lover, giving only a few experimental pumps before inserting the second finger.
This time he went slower. Ellis took one finger with very little need for tenderness, but two and three usually hurt at least for the first minute or so. Nick was desperate for release at this point, painfully aroused, but he was not a sadist. He and Ellis had their love life worked out. Sometimes their intimacy was romantic bouts of lovemaking, and other times it was intense smoldering sex, rough without being abusive. Ellis could do rough. Ellis, Nick's Ellis could do anything.
"I'm ready." Ellis groaned, pressing his hips back against Nick's hand as the fingers withdrew from him. The gambler fumbled with unfastening his pants and pulling down the front just enough to withdraw his cock, already pulsing. He breached Ellis inch by inch, mind blown by such incredible tight heat. He let out his held breath when at last he was buried up to the hilt in what felt like heaven, already touching against the younger man's prostate.
"Nick..." Ellis whimpered.
The gambler loved the way his name sounded when his boyfriend said it, especially during moments like this, when his voice was throatier and his accent was more heavy.
"You want me?"
"Please..." Ellis begged, barely at a whisper.
In a time crunch, Nick skipped from teasing right to pacing his thrusts, increasing in speed and pressure with each move. Ellis needed to be finished by the time his break was over, otherwise his co-worker and best friend might come out looking for him and while Nick wouldn't have given a shit less if Keith stood there and watched the whole thing, it would have bothered Ellis. Everything was always so intimate and romantic with him. He would have never allowed someone he loved almost like a brother to view him in such a private act.
Ellis' whimpers and panting turned into moans he was desperately trying to control. They mingled in the air with Nick's less careful grunts, increasing in volume as he got closer and closer to release. His right arm was bracing his weight against the wall while his left wrapped around the mechanic's waist as his legs threatened to give out. Ellis' free hand was pumping an already weeping erection, while the other was occupied with a white knuckled grip on Nick's forearm.
"I need...I'm- Nick..." Ellis panted, leaning back helpless into his lover's strong grip, lightning crossing his vision as his body couldn't take anymore, white ropes of semen spattering over his exposed chest and abdomen as the force of orgasm tore through him while Nick finished on his back at the same time.
"Damn...I'm a mess." Ellis groaned when he finally gathered his thoughts again.
"I didn't want to come in you, it'd be pretty damn uncomfortable all afternoon." Nick smirked, tucking himself back into his pants and pulling a rag out of Ellis' coverall pocket. The two worked at cleaning the younger man off enough to where he could go back to work after throwing the soiled rag into the dumpster.
"See you at home, babe." Nick said, placing one last kiss to the mechanic's cheek before heading home.
Ellis smiled, walking with a spring in his step back into the garage, standing by his best friend and assisting him with adjusting a truck's alignment. Keith paused for a moment, before leaning in and turning Ellis' collar up.
"You got a hickey on your neck." He said, going back to his work. He stared back at his friend for a brief moment, struggling to say something before he gave up. He shook his head, incredulously. "Really, Ellis?"