(This one was inspired a while ago, but I just couldn't make it turn out right until tonight. More fluff this time, less angst, lovely readers. I hope everyone enjoys!)

Nick's arrival home was so much quieter than usual that Ellis would have missed it if he hadn't been listening for the door. He pushed himself up off his makeshift bed (aka the couch) and trailed across their shared apartment into the bedroom where Nick was lying on his stomach, still fully dressed, with his eyes shut.

"…Nick? You okay, man?"

The older man briefly lifted his head, prying his eyes open to stare at the other blearily. "Fine. Tired." His head dropped back onto the mattress. He hadn't even had the energy to crawl up so his head could be on the pillows, apparently. The comforter was thrown sloppily in a tangle across his waist, but the rest of his body was exposed. Considering he was still wearing his usual white-suit attire, though, it was doubtful that he was in any danger of getting a chill.

"I told ya t'get some sleep last night if ya really needed it. I woulda been fine sittin' up all on my own. Yer classes start way earlier than mine, ya know." Ellis sat on the edge of the bed near his shoulder, looking concerned.

"You don't say," muttered Nick, sarcastic even while barely conscious. "I'll be fine. Just… need to sleep." The glazed green eyes slid shut once more, and Ellis watched him for a moment as he simply sank into sleep like a stone thrown into water. He leaned forward and gently tugged the crumpled blanket off of the conman-turned-student, straightening it out before carefully pulling it up to cover him properly, even going so far as to tuck the edges in around him.

Smiling affectionately, Ellis eased a pillow under the dark head and tugged off his shoes, placing them neatly in the closet as he knew Nick preferred rather than leaving them beside the bed, as he would have done for himself. He left the room, shutting the door behind himself, and returned to the couch, slumping across the plush cushions with his thoughts spinning out of control, completely ignoring the TV's silenced picture.

It had been about a week since Nick had taken him in from his truck. He had promised to get a job and help pay for things, but Nick had assured him that money wasn't an issue, just so long as he didn't cause any trouble, he was welcome to hang around and use his couch for as long as necessary. Now, Ellis' Mama hadn't raised a fool, and he had readily accepted.

Of course, in keeping with his not being a fool, Ellis hadn't exactly been honest with his new landlord of sorts. One of the many fascinating things he had discovered since starting college (aside from things like how coffee actually was one of the main food groups and professors really didn't give a fuck if you paid attention so long as you were quiet) was that sexuality was much more open here. Everyone seemed to be experimenting, claiming to be 'bi-curious', and one thing could lead to another, and… well…

Ellis had figured out that he wasn't exactly entirely straight. He still really liked girls, don't get him wrong. Girls could be really beautiful, with their long hair and their curvy bodies and those voices could get all soft and sultry and…

…Yeah. Ellis really liked girls. But he also found that he could appreciate a fine male figure as well. And if Nick found out, he might kick him out. There'd never been any indication that Nick was anything but straight, and he didn't intend on pushing his luck and ending up back on the street after this stroke of good fortune.

It didn't help, of course, that Nick was incredibly attractive.

Ellis' eyes fluttered shut. Just for a moment, he could doze off. Considering Nick was already in for the night and fast asleep, there was no reason why he couldn't take a little nap before dinner…

Or he could, you know, pass out until sometime after midnight.

Ellis sat up with a grunt, rubbing at his eyes, and heard the familiar clatter of someone cooking in the kitchen. The bedroom light was on, he noticed, and the light over the stove was lit, but the rest of the apartment was dim. Ellis got up and padded into the other room, leaning against the doorway as he released a tired yawn.

Nick was standing at the stove, his suit jacket now missing and his sleeves rolled up. His usually slicked hair was mussed from sleep and shoved back away from his face. He looked exactly as one might expect – like he'd just rolled out of bed. Ellis kind of wanted to run his fingers through the messy hair, but he resisted the urge.

"What're ya makin'?" he asked, drawing the sharp green gaze of the older man.

"I didn't mean to wake you, kiddo. I woke up hungry and thought I'd make a sandwich or something." But a sandwich to Nick didn't mean the same thing as a sandwich to Ellis. Nick was making his midnight snack on the stove, in a frying pan, with a second pan as a weight. A makeshift Panini. Ellis smiled, unable to help himself.

"I'm kinda hungry, too. Think ya can make me one?"

Nick waved a hand at him. "Yeah, sure, why not? Get us out something to drink, all right? There should be some things in the fridge."

Ellis crossed to the previously mentioned appliance obediently and grabbed two beers from inside, setting one down on the counter beside Nick and keeping the other for himself. "Feelin' better now that ya got a nap in?" he asked with a grin.

The brunette shot him a glance, then looked back down at the sandwich he was preparing. "Yeah. I told you I just needed to get some sleep and I would be fine." There was a pause as both men fumbled for something to say. "…Thanks, by the way. For the pillow, and all that."

Ellis felt a soft blush begin to burn in his cheeks and he tugged on the brim of his hat, hoping to hide it. "Yeah, sure, no problem, man. Ya looked so tuckered out, I figured ya could use a comfortable rest, an' I knew ya could never get a good sleep layin' like ya were, so I –"

A sudden pull on his hat in the opposite direction brought him head up with a jerk, meeting the mischievous green eyes of the other. "Has anyone ever bothered to tell you that you talk way too much, Overalls?"

Ellis' blush deepened. "Yeah, tons'a people've told me that before. They tell me I could talk the ears off a statue, but I don' really see why I'd be talkin' to a statue, of all things, an' my Ma told me…" He trailed off, realizing he was doing it again, and glanced away quickly. "Sorry," he muttered.

"You're fine, sport. Here." Nick flipped the finished sandwich onto a plate and extended it toward Ellis. "Shove a sandwich in it." Ellis barely resisted the urge to tell him what else he could shove in it besides a sandwich.

(What, innuendo? What, Ellis having the feelings first? What the hell is this? It's me continuing to derp around now that I have all this muse. I have a feeling my Harry Potter fans that just watch me as an author are getting pissed with me, but I'm seriously working on it. I just don't have the same inspiration for them as I do now for my Nellis thanks to my Ellis. :3 Hope all my lovely readers enjoyed!