A/N: Hey! Did you miss me?

Apologies again for the fact that I haven't updated in two months and a day. Same excuse as last time, except I also have serious writer's block with this story and, you know, school started.

But now that y'all are here and reading some Bicely, here is the not-super-short chapter 19, in which Benny and Nicely actually have a proper (sort of) conflict! Whoa!

Don't worry, it still ends in fluff, as always.

I guess that's all I have to say for myself, except for check out my other stories and that of the fabulous Rue Sue.

AND REVIEW THIS STORY GODDAMMIT! PLEEEEEEEEEASE

-Katisha xx

OoOoOo

Nicely was surprised and somewhat concerned to be waking up to an empty bed. He had definitely gone to sleep with Benny beside him, and that man hardly ever left him alone during the night without a good reason. Nicely decided that, since his husband had gotten up early, there was no reason to stay where he would be completely sans cuddles. He quickly got out of bed, dressed in one of his signature pairs of way-too-big pyjamas. Although those particular pants could have belonged to his partner at some point, it hardly mattered now.

Nicely soon found Benny sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. The younger gambler smiled, rushing over to his lover's side and sitting down.

"Good morning Benny!" Nicely greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Nicely," Benny replied rather flatly.

"Why were you up so early?"

"I dunno."

"Well, at least we can cuddle now," Nicely said, leaning his head against Benny's shoulder.

The older of the two frowned, shrugging Nicely off of him. "How about you just leave me alone?" Benny snapped.

Nicely was slightly taken aback by Benny's uncharacteristic bad attitude. "What was that?"

"I asked you to go away. I thought I made that pretty clear."

"What's wrong, Benny?" The shorter man asked gently.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"There's something bothering you. I can tell. I can always tell with you."

Benny finally turned to his husband. "I told you, I'm fine! Now stop tryin' to talk to me and leave me the hell alone!"

Nicely frowned. "Why are you actin' so strange?"

"I'm the one who's actin' strange?"

"Yes! Are you tryin' to say that your rudeness is somehow my fault?"

"So now me wantin' to be left alone is rude? God, you're needy."

"What?"

"You heard me. You seem to expect me to pay my full attention to you every moment of every day!" Benny yelled.

"I do not!"

"You do so! And when I don't want to do exactly what you want to do exactly when you want to do it, I'm 'rude'."

"That's not what I'm sayin'! I don't have a problem with you wantin' to be by yourself sometimes, it's just I don't like it that you're tellin' me to go away like I'm irritating to you or something."

"Well maybe you are!"

Nicely was speechless.

"I feel like you're a little kid sometimes," the taller man continued, "I feel like you're completely dependant on me and need me to do every little thing for you. Can't you just act like like a grown man for once?"

"Big words for someone who just blew up at me for no reason!"

"I didn't blow up at you for no reason! I told you very clearly to leave me alone and apparently that's too hard for you."

"Well you wouldn't tell me why you wanted me to go!"

"I shouldn't have to! I shouldn't have to explain to you why I want to be by myself for one moment!"

"Well I can't read your mind, now can I?" Nicely remarked sarcastically.

"No, but I shouldn't have to tell you why I don't want you breathing down my neck all the time!"

"So I'm annoying you, huh?"

"Yes!"

"How am I annoying?"

"I just explained to you! You never give me no space! You always expect me to entertain you, all the damn time!" Benny shouted.

"I can't believe you! Do you seriously think I use you for entertainment?"

"I don't know? Do you?"

"Oh for God's sake, Benny! You believe I'm that shallow!?" Nicely yelled.

Benny opened his mouth, but closed it again. He paused, before finally saying: "No, I don't. I'm not really sure why I said that. In fact, I don't really know why we're fightin'."

"I don't know either," Nicely replied, rubbing his face with his hands.

Benny sighed, leaning back into the couch. "That was stupid. I don't like fighting with you."

"Me neither. It's not fun."

"It's really not, is it?"

"Let's not fight anymore," the younger gambler decided.

"Agreed."

There was a moment of silence before Nicely tentatively replaced his head on Benny's shoulder. The other man let him do so.

"Benny, are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"Umm... I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I just... don't want to."

Nicely scooted closer to his husband, wrapping his arms around the taller man's waist. "Why not, babe? You tell me to tell you everything, and I want you to do the same."

"I... sorry, Nice', I just don't want to talk about it."

Nicely lifted his head, studying his lover closely. "Something happened at last night's game. That's it, isn't it?"

"...Yeah."

"What was it, Benny?"

The older man sighed, realizing that he had no way of escaping having to confess everything to Nicely. "Well, it's just... Last night, some of the guys were making fun of us... they said that we're too much like a happy married couple to be running the game like this. They said we've gone soft."

"And?"

"That's it."

Nicely chuckled. "That's it? How did you get so mad at that?"

"I don't know... I just feel like they ain't takin' us seriously no more, and that makes me mad."

"Well, Benny, to put it in your own words, they have to like us if they wanna have any fun 'round here."

"I know. l shouldn't have let it get to me. And I definitely shouldn't have taken it out on you." He suddenly turned and hugged Nicely very tightly, nuzzling his nose into the smaller man's messy hair. "I'm really sorry, Princess."

"I forgive you. I'm sorry too."

"You know I don't actually think any of the things I said to you a minute ago, right?"

"Yeah," Nicely muttered, his hands sliding up his husband's back to return Benny's hug, "Neither do I."

The two men held each other in their arms for a long while, feeling their warmth enveloping them, listening to each other's breathing and heartbeats.

"I love you, Nicely," said Benny.

Nicely smiled. "Love you too."

Benny pulled away enough to touch his lips to the side of the other man's face, before slowly kissing down Nicely's jaw, gently pushing the other gambler onto his back. Benny continued to brush soft kisses along his neck as he felt Nicely's slender fingers threading into his hair. The older man tugged at the other's shirt, exposing his shoulder to Benny's thorough embraces.

"So, Benny..." Nicely started somewhat breathily.

Benny hummed absent-mindedly, letting his tongue trace around Nicely's collarbone.

"...I take it you don't wanna be alone no more?"

The taller of the two stopped and raised his head, meeting the other's hazel eyes. "I don't wanna be alone. Not when you let me spend every minute of every day with you."

Nicely smirked, lifting his head to softly touch his nose to Benny's. "Of course," he muttered against his husband's lips before kissing them passionately.