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“Son of a bitch,” Nick muttered. He was standing in the airport terminal, bundled up in about six layers, and staring down the flight schedule monitor with a feeling of dread. The predicted cold front was supposed to hold off for a few more hours, so when he arrived at the airport driving through three inches of snow, he wasn’t terribly surprised to see his flight was cancelled.
Just disappointed. He pulled out his cell phone with a sigh and turned his back on the huge screens, instead making his way back toward the parking lot. He dialed Kelly’s number and pressed the phone to his ear, half expecting to get his voicemail.
“Yo, Nick O, are you in the sky yet?”
“Would I be calling if I were thirty thousand feet in the air?”
“You tell me,” Kelly said, and Nick could hear him fighting a grin.
He sighed. “I don’t think I’m gonna make it tonight, Kels.”
“What?” Kelly’s amusement fell, his tone instantly sharper. “Why?”
“Well… We got a bit of snow. There aren’t gonna be any flights until it clears out.”
“So… where are you now?”
“Stuck at Boston Logan.”
“Stuck. At an airport. And you’re not gonna make it here tonight.”
“That’s the gist of it,” Nick muttered. Kelly was either high or drunk, and no matter how he looked at it, there was very little chance he’d be making it to Colorado.
“Forgive my French, but that’s fucking stupid.”
“I can’t change the weather, Doc,” Nick snapped. He thrust a hand into his hair and sighed, closing his eyes.
“I didn’t say you were stupid, O,” Kelly shot back.
“Look… I’m sorry. I love you. But it looks like you are not in the cards for this weekend.”
Kelly breathed in slowly. “Fuck.”
“Yeah,” Nick murmured, watching the snow come down in heavy flurries. “Are you still coming out for Thanksgiving?” he asked, trying to salvage something of Kelly’s good mood.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve gotta talk to some people.” Kelly paused, then swore. “Probably not.”
Nick sighed, pulling his hood up. “Alright. I’m gonna try to drive back to the boat. I love you.”
“Me too, Lucky.”
-- Thanksgiving --
Nick climbed onto his boat, slowly rolling his shoulder. Soreness was already setting in, as well as regret for using it to break through a door earlier that night. He dropped his gear down the stairwell and glanced over his shoulder, checking the docks for any signs of life. He turned the key in the ignition and set the choke; he had two whole days to himself, a true-blue weekend, and planned on making good use of them.
“Man, it’s a good thing I bought a weekend parking pass,” said a voice from below deck. In the split second it took to recognize Kelly’s voice, Nick had his pistol out and the safety off.
He sighed and lowered his weapon, working his jaw as the tension coiled in his shoulders. “Jesus, Kels. Warn a guy.”
“Have you ever heard of the word, ‘surprise’?” Kelly smirked, bounding past the top step. He pulled a beer from behind his back and pressed it into Nick’s hand.
“Have you ever heard of PTSD?” Nick quipped as he set the beer down next to the wheel, turning instead to catch Kelly by his elbow. “What the hell kind of greeting is that?” He growled, pulling Kelly up to his chest.
“Figured you’d want to get away from the marina first.”
“You figured wrong, Doc,” Nick said, cupping the back of his head. He took a moment to just look; he hadn’t seen Kelly in over a month, and phone calls weren’t quite cutting it lately. He leaned down, swiping his tongue over Kelly’s bottom lip and then pulling it between his teeth. Nick groaned softly and worked his tongue into Kelly’s mouth, sliding his palms down his back to cup his ass. Kelly was already half hard and rolled his hips into Nick’s, his arms winding about his neck. “Thought you couldn’t make it?” He said, once he’d pulled back for air.
“Pulled some strings, exposed myself in a public park, shot up a bank. You know, the usual.”
“Fine,” Nick huffed, stepping back into the driver’s seat. He kept Kelly close with a hand on his hip and turned to push the throttle down, guiding them out towards open ocean. Once they cleared the more trafficked waters of the marina, he dropped it down to a low idle and turned back to Kelly.
“Are you going to complain, or fuck me?”
“Like you have to ask,” Nick growled, pulling Kelly in between his knees. He skimmed his lips over Kelly’s neck, hands returning to squeeze his ass. “Wanna do it on the deck?”
“Fuck no, it’s cold. Drop anchor and take me downstairs.”
“Aye, aye,” Nick cheered, nipping at the edge of Kelly's jaw. He made no move to do what Kelly asked, instead sliding his hands to the small of his back.
“I said downstairs,” Kelly said, pressing his lips against Nick’s ear.
“You’re so demanding. It’s kinda hot.”
“Get me downstairs and fuck me, before I knock your ass out and get us back to dry land.”
Nick chuckled against Kelly's jaw, leaving one last lingering nip. He shut off the engine and tossed the keys up by his beer, then took Kelly’s hand and dragged him down to the bedroom. The bed was unmade from that morning, since he’d rolled out of bed at five thirty and been at work by six. Kelly didn’t seem to mind; by the time Nick pulled him through the door, Kelly already had his own sweatshirt off and belt unbuckled.
“Come on, Irish. Normally you’d have thrown me down on the deck, what gives?”
Nick turned to face him, stripping off his shirt as he did. “Normally you don’t just show up out of nowhere. Showing up out of nowhere set me off.”
“Stop starting with the same word I start with. I’m sorry for sneaking up on you, but are you really gonna complain now? Not in, say, twenty minutes when we’re both sweaty and gross?”
“Good point,” Nick said, hands moving to his belt. He swallowed, raking his eyes up and down Kelly’s body as he wriggled out of his clothes. “Got any requests?”
“Just you, Irish.” Kelly kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his jeans, closing the distance between them in two strides.
Nick set his hands on Kelly’s hips, pulling them together. He bent and grazed his teeth over Kelly’s shoulder, smiling into his neck as he moved higher and nibbled at his jaw. Without warning, he turned and pushed Kelly down onto the bed, watching him bounce slightly. He turned to face him, hands controlled and purposeful as he drew the zipper down on his jeans, and pushed them down his hips. He took his boxers off with them and folded both pieces of clothing, taking his sweet time just to see Kelly’s jaw clench.
“I’m not kidding, Nick. Get down here.”
Nick licked over his bottom lip, raking his eyes over Kelly from head to toe. He knelt at the edge of the bed and dropped onto his hands, climbing slowly up Kelly’s body. He dropped a kiss just above his knee, and another on the opposite hip. Kelly took a fist full of his hair and dragged him the rest of the way up, wrapping his legs firmly around Nick’s waist.
Kelly pulled Nick’s head within reach and kissed him hard, sliding his hands down to his shoulders. He kept one foot hooked behind Nick’s ass, set the other on the bed, and arched his body against Nick’s.
“If you don’t slow down, we’re doing this without lube, babe,” Nick grunted against his mouth, pulling back forcefully. He put his weight on one hand, using the other to push Kelly’s hair back from his forehead. He grinned down at him.
“Get the damn lube, then.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Nick drawled, leaning over to the side of the bed that had a small storage compartment. He lifted the lid and pulled out the bottle of lube that had been there since Kelly’s last visit. With a flick of his thumb, he popped the cap off and poured a liberal amount onto his palm. Kelly watched with hungry eyes as Nick warmed it against his hands, and tracked them as he coated his cock. He was fully hard by the time Kelly growled at him, and with a soft chuckle, he jerked Kelly down the bed towards him.
“Yeah, baby, manhandle me,” he hissed, reaching for Nick as he dropped onto one hand.
“Do you need…” Nick trailed off, letting Kelly drag him into another kiss that was all teeth and tongue.
“No. Fuck me.”
Without needing more encouragement, Nick set one hand on Kelly’s hip and used the other to guide his cock between them. He pushed against Kelly slowly, gritting his teeth against the sensation and forcing himself to go slow. If Kelly was here all weekend, he had no intention of leaving him too sore for more.
Kelly let out a long moan, allowing his head to drop back onto the mattress when Nick finally slipped past the ring of muscle.
“You been practicing?” Nick asked, breathless. He pushed in another inch and swore when Kelly clenched around him.
“I may have gotten a couple of toys,” Kelly smirked, dragging his nails down Nick’s back. He sunk his teeth into Nick’s shoulder and pushed his hips up, driving Nick deeper. They groaned together as Kelly dragged his nails back up.
Without warning, Nick pulled his hips back and drove forward, burying himself to the hilt. He took a handful of Kelly’s hair and pulled his head roughly to the side, exposing the long line of his neck. Kelly whined, taking a handful of the comforter as Nick leaned down to lap at his neck. Kelly tasted extra salty, a combination of sweat and ocean air. It drew a growl and Nick bared his teeth, scraping them roughly up Kelly’s neck to his ear.
“Nick,” Kelly whined, trying to move his hips, to get friction, to get Nick to move, but all he did was growl against Kelly’s skin and suck on his earlobe.
Nick let go of Kelly’s hair, knowing he’d keep his head turned, and moved his weight onto one elbow. He still hadn’t moved inside Kelly, and he knew it was likely to drive him insane soon. With his free hand, he reached between them and wrapped his fist around Kelly’s cock. He was hard and heavy in Nick’s grip, the remaining lube sticky.
“Nick, please,” Kelly whined, arching up against Nick. He pulled a few times on Kelly’s cock, rough and firm the way Kelly liked it. He was panting in no time, letting out a string of incoherent sentences. Nick brought him to the edge and then stopped, dropping his hand to Kelly’s hip. He reared up onto his knees, spreading them a little wider and sitting back on his heels. Then he pulled Kelly up against his chest, so that he sunk onto Nick with his full weight. Kelly held onto Nick’s shoulders, meeting his gaze for a brief moment before Nick grabbed his hips and started thrusting up into him. He set his lips to Kelly’s ear, whispering about all the things he’d been dying to do to him since they last got the chance to meet up. Kelly moaned wordlessly, pressing his mouth to Nick’s shoulder, one hand between them keeping time with Nick’s hips.
“Come for me, baby,” Nick grunted, sliding his hands around to Kelly’s ass. He spread Kelly’s cheeks, panting as he started to lose his rhythm. “Now, come now,” he said, and groaned when he felt Kelly clamp down around him. He managed another few erratic thrusts, and let Kelly sink back down his length with a harsh sigh.
“God, I love you,” Kelly groaned, lifting his head. He wrapped an arm around Nick’s neck and kissed him slowly. His teeth grazed Nick’s bottom lip, tongue sliding forward. Now that the need was gone, Kelly took the time to kiss him thoroughly. Everything still felt new and exciting, especially after weeks spent apart, but it was also very familiar. Kelly sucked on Nick’s tongue, holding them firmly together as Nick leaned forward and laid Kelly back down on the bed.
He pulled back enough to reply. “Love you, too.”
Kelly shoved his hands into Nick’s hair, noticing for the first time that it was considerably longer than he remembered. He twisted a strand around one of his fingers, licking over his swollen lips. “I like your hair like this. Surprised they haven’t made you cut it yet.”
“I’ve been rather busy, babe,” Nick said, shifting ever so slightly. He placed his elbows on either side of Kelly’s head, looking down into his eyes with a small grin. “I can’t believe you just showed up, you asshole. What if I’d left work early?”
“If you could leave work early, you’d have flown out. Besides, it’s Thanksgiving weekend. I called in a favor. Now let me up, I need to take a piss.”
“How delicate,” Nick snorted, but pulled out, wrinkling his nose as he did. He patted Kelly’s thigh and flopped over, lacing his fingers behind his head. The view of Kelly’s ass as he disappeared through the doorway was one that he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of. “Where the hell are you going?” He called out, sitting up slightly as Kelly walked right past the bathroom.
“Always wanted to piss off the side of the boat.”
“Don’t come crying to me if the Coast Guard spots you,” he called after, shaking his head. He sat up and moved off the bed, stepping into the bathroom to wash the lube off his hands and clean himself off. He slipped into a pair of sweats and grabbed Kelly’s from his bag. There was a small storage space just outside the bedroom and he paused to grab a heavy wool blanket, then climbed the stairs three at a time.
He looked around once he reached the main cabin, depositing his arm load onto the small table.
“Brought you some sweats,” he called out, leaning over the wheel to check their bearings. They’d drifted about half a mile from where he’d shut off the engine, but he wasn’t too worried about it. He turned around to find Kelly stepping into the sweats, skin rippling with goosebumps.
“Thanks,” he said, smiling up at Nick.
“No problem.”
Nick picked up the blanket and shook it out, wrapping it around Kelly’s shoulders. He leaned back over the wheel and flicked a switch that started lowering the anchor from the bow. With the winch still running, he walked to the stern and dropped the drag anchor. By the time the main anchor hit the ocean floor, the boat had straightened out facing the wind. It would keep the boat from rolling too much, and they’d stay in one place overnight. The late November air was cold, but warmer on the water than it was on land. Nick checked the anchor, flipped the switch, and turned to find Kelly huddled up on one of the bench seats.
“Let’s go up top,” Nick said quietly, holding his hand out for Kelly to take. He led the pair of them to the upper deck and untied the cushions he rarely used. They were bleached from the constant sun, but still had plenty of cushion left, and Nick made them a small nest. Kelly sat down, leaning against the railing with another cushion at his back, and gestured for Nick to sit between his legs.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Lucky,” he whispered, dropping a kiss on the back of Nick’s shoulder. He draped the blanket over Nick and wrapped his arms around his ribcage, leeching Nick’s never-ending warmth.
“You, too, Doc.” Nick let his head rest back against Kelly, his gaze turned up toward the sky. The autumn sky was clear for miles, and they were far enough out of town that they could see just about every star in the sky.
They sat like that for a while, losing track of time. Nick placed his hands over Kelly’s, twisting their fingers together.
“You know what I probably would’ve done if you hadn’t come out?”
“What’s that?” Kelly hummed, running his nose behind Nick’s ear.
“Probably would’ve sat around drinking beer all weekend by myself.” Nick snorted, tilting his head as Kelly’s lips skimmed down his neck. His hands started roaming, tracing scars both old and new. “Kat wanted me to come over for dinner on the holiday. She asked if there was any way I could get out of work and be there. I lied and told her no.”
“Why’d you lie? Why not just tell her you didn’t wanna go?”
“Because it was Kat. She knew I was lying, and… Are you shrinking me?”
Kelly snorted, smiling against Nick’s skin. “No, babe. It was just a question.”
“Yeah,” Nick grumbled, setting his arms over Kelly’s thighs. He sniffed airily and made himself comfortable, draping over Kelly like he was his own personal bean bag chair. Kelly took advantage of it, his hands roaming over Nick’s chest inch by inch. There were scars almost everywhere, most of which Kelly himself had stitched up. Few of them were raised enough to actually feel, but he knew where the others were. He’d gone over them a thousand times.
“Was your dad gonna be there?” Kelly asked quietly, ready to wrap his arms around Nick in case he decided to leave the conversation.
“Not that I’m aware,” Nick sighed, his right hand opening and closing repeatedly. He set his hand on Kelly’s knee and closed his eyes. “I just… All their memories from when we were little are me getting knocked around. I don’t wanna bring all that up at a family gathering.”
“Irish.”
“What?” Nick twisted, looking Kelly in the eye. “You think that’s not what they’re thinking when I come around?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yeah, and you aren’t thinking about these all the time?” Nick reached for Kelly’s hand, currently splayed over a scar that ran the length of his ribs on the left side.
“Of course not. Nick, your scars tell of your past, not your future.”
“Sure, Doc.”
Kelly frowned against his shoulder, recognizing that Nick was shutting him out. “So what if I notice your scars? I’m the one who stitched up most of them. There aren’t many I don’t know first-hand how you got them.”
“What’s it matter how I got them? I’ve got them, and they aren’t going away.”
“It’s okay to have scars,” Kelly said quietly. Nick scoffed, making a move to sit up. In under a second, Kelly locked his arms about him. “You listen here, O’Flaherty. These scars are what made you who you are, for better or worse. Yeah, maybe they’re a reminder of what you did for your sisters, but who says that’s a bad thing?”
“It’s a bad thing because it could send them back to that basement. Damnit, Kels - you don’t know what it was like down there!” Nick gritted his teeth and turned his head, trying to get his heart rate back under control. If he tried running, Kelly would only tackle him now.
“Back to that basement. You mean like…”
“I don’t want them to be reminded of how it felt down there. I’d rather keep my distance and let them remember me as the brother they want at Thanksgiving, not the brother they don’t want at Thanksgiving.”
“You ever asked them that?” Kelly asked. It seemed to be the last straw, but before Nick could even brace himself to stand, Kelly wrapped his legs around his waist. “No, listen. It’s okay to be afraid, O.” He squeezed just slightly, and didn’t let go until Nick’s shoulders relaxed again. “I just don’t want you hiding from me.”
Nick was silent for a while. Slowly, Kelly unwrapped, letting his feet land back on the pillows. He smoothed a hand over Nick’s chest and sighed when he said, “Alright.”
Kelly pressed his nose against his neck. “It’s freezing out here. Let’s go inside.”
Nick got to his feet slowly, as if he were waiting for Kelly to wrap him up again. Once he was standing, he offered his hand, pulling Kelly up beside him. He tied the pillows back in place and followed Kelly’s footsteps down to the cabin, checking their bearings out of habit. He pocketed the keys and descended to the dark depths, finding his way mostly by memory. Kelly was already curled up under the blankets, but he was watching carefully as Nick entered.
“You know you can always call, right? Even if it’s the middle of the night. If you need to talk, you can call. I’ll want to talk, too.”
“This is so hard, Kels,” Nick sighed. “I hate being away from you this much.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and then dropped them both to the waistband of his sweats, pushing them off and to the floor.
“I know, babe. It’s rough. But it’s what we’ve got to deal with right now.” Kelly opened the blankets and watched Nick crawl towards him. He waited til Nick was settled and then turned, wrapping his arm around his waist and hooking a leg over his hips.
Nick was quiet for a while, long enough that Kelly would’ve thought he’d fallen asleep were it not for the hand rubbing circles into his back. Nick’s chest swelled with a deep breath and he turned his head, speaking into Kelly’s hair. “I’d like it if you came out for Christmas. I probably won’t be working, but if I am it’d be nice to have you here when I came home.”
“Of course I’ll be here,” Kelly mumbled, turning his head to look up at Nick. “As long as you want me here, I will be.”
Nick hummed softly and rolled over, settling once more between Kelly’s thighs. He kissed him slowly, taking his time now that the edge was gone. “Is it bad that I’m hoping you miss your flight on Sunday?”
“Nope,” Kelly grinned, sliding his hands down Nick’s back. “I am kinda tired, though. Can we save round two for the morning?”
“Sure,” Nick smirked, leaning down to suck on Kelly’s neck.
“Oh, you’re awful,” Kelly sighed, tilting his head back.
“You love me.”
“Just get on with it, then,” he muttered, wrapping his legs around Nick’s waist.
They woke up late the next morning, one of the rare times Nick was able to actually sleep in. He was wrapped around Kelly and holding them firmly together with an arm around Kelly’s ribs.
“I love waking up like this,” Nick mumbled, dragging his nose along the line of Kelly’s shoulder. He splayed one hand over Kelly’s chest and moved his knee between Kelly’s thighs, wedging tighter to his back.
“Me, too,” Kelly said, nestling back against him. “We should go into town today.”
“Town sucks. Let’s stay out here.” Nick said lowly, nipping his way back to Kelly’s neck. He was about to propose spending the whole day in bed, but his phone started to ring before he’d even gotten a full breath. With a soft curse, he went in search of the ringing device and flipped it open against his ear. “O’Flaherty.”
Kelly turned and propped his head on one hand, watching Nick’s eyes. They flickered over Kelly’s face and down his torso and followed when he reached out to touch one of the bruises he’d left. After a long-suffering sigh, he shook his head.
“Yeah, alright, I’ll be in when I can. I had the weekend off, Rabbit, I’ll be in when I fucking can.” Nick slapped the phone shut and made to throw it, but thought better and simply tossed it on the floor. He ran a hand over his face, muttering under his breath as he scooted to the end of the bed.
“Work?” Kelly asked, trying not to sound disappointed.
“I’m sorry, Kels. They’re calling in a stakeout and apparently I’m the only bastard who can sit in a car with Rabbit for six fucking hours and not try to kill him.”
“Rabbit?” Kelly smirked slightly, tossing back the blankets. He got up and went to his bag, rooting around for a pair of boxers.
“He’s fast,” Nick said simply. Kelly snorted, and when he turned around, Nick was already pulling a plain white shirt on over his head. He slipped past Kelly and hurried up to the deck to get them started back toward the harbor.
Once dressed, Kelly climbed the stairs and threw himself into the booth across from the wheel. He watched as Nick drove, the tension building with every passing minute. By the time he hopped onto the dock to tie up the boat, his scowl was almost permanent.
Kelly sighed and followed, Nick’s phone and badge in hand. He handed them to Nick with an encouraging smile.
“Thanks,” Nick muttered, shoving his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry about this. I’ll call you when we change over, but… I don’t know when that’ll be.”
“No worries,” Kelly shrugged.
“Seriously. It’ll be late, babe.”
“Go, Nick. Just don’t wake me up when you get home.”
“Okay,” Nick sighed. He paused, pursing his lips. “You’re sure?”
“Yes!” Kelly laughed, giving him a gentle shove. “I’ll go hang out in Boston for the day.”
“Alright. Fine, yeah. Come on, I’ll walk you to your rental.”
“My hero,” Kelly crooned, and dodged a smack to the back of his head.
Nick waited for Kelly’s car to disappear before he climbed into his own.
There wasn’t a lot that Kelly wanted to do in Boston without Nick, but he managed to enjoy himself throughout the day. He spent over an hour at the open market looking through booths, took a tour in an amphibious vehicle. It wasn’t an eventful day, but he found his way back to the marina with a flicker of hope he’d see Nick’s car.
He was disappointed but unsurprised to find Nick’s usual spot empty. Nick hadn’t called, but he’d texted throughout the day with jokes and a few pictures. Kelly scrambled onto the boat and sighed. He made his way down to the kitchen to make a sandwich, and since Nick was gone, he ate in bed and watched a movie.
He fell asleep long before Nick got off work, but woke up to the clumsy sounds of Nick stumbling into the bedroom. Kelly turned onto his back and yawned, his eyes following Nick’s profile in the darkness.
“I love you, but you stink,” Kelly grumbled, placing his hands behind his head.
“Rabbit made me go get a beer.” Nick bent over to pry his boots off and dropped them to the floor one at a time. He grabbed the collar of his t-shirt as he straightened, pulling it off over his head. It nearly got stuck at his shoulders, but he rolled his arm inward and managed to free himself without help. He turned toward the bed as he reached for his belt, his eyes finding the Kelly-shaped lump in the center of the bed.
“He made you,” Kelly repeated, trying not to sound amused as Nick struggled with the belt buckle.
“Help me,” Nick huffed, motioning towards his belt with his hands. Kelly sat up and reached out to help. He grabbed on to Nick’s jeans and pulled him closer, then flicked open his belt. Nick took over, undoing his jeans and pushing them down over his hips. His boxers followed and then he leaned forward, taking Kelly’s face in his hands.
“Really? You come in smelling like beer, and you think I’m gonna put out?” Kelly asked, pushing Nick’s hands away.
“A guy can dream,” Nick muttered. He dropped onto the bed beside Kelly and leaned back on his hands, sniffing loudly. “What’d you do today?”
“Touristy stuff you probably would have hated.”
“Yeah, probably… Listen, I’ve got some kind of bad news.”
“What kind of bad news?” Kelly frowned. He reached over to flick on the lights and blinked as his eyes adjusted. Nick’s hair was mussed, whether from the bar or from undressing Kelly didn’t know. He was also frowning.
“You know how I invited you for Christmas? Well… I was asked to work on Christmas. And normally I’d say no since you’re gonna be here, but Rabbit’s girlfriend or something is… Look, I don’t remember what it is he’s doing. He asked me to cover it for him.”
“So I’m flying out for nothing?”
“Not nothing,” Nick shook his head. “We’ll have Christmas Eve, and part of Christmas, and however long you’re staying after…”
“Nick, the point of coming for Christmas is to be with you on Christmas. If I wanted to be alone on the holiday, I’d just stay home.”
“Kelly, come on.”
“Don’t ‘Kelly, come on’ me, O. You asked me to come out and now you won’t even be here.”
“Can we talk about this in the morning?” Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair.
Kelly stared at him for a few long moments, then shook his head. “Fine.” He reached for the light switch again and crawled back up the bed, his back to his lover. Nick moved slowly up behind Kelly and settled a hand on his hip, wary and hesitant.
“Kels?” He whispered.
“What?” Kelly replied, not bothering to match his volume.
“I love you. And I’m sorry.”
Kelly sighed softly, placing his hand over Nick’s. He laced their fingers and pulled Nick’s arm around him and didn’t relax until Nick’s chest was at his back.
“You sure you don’t wanna…” Nick murmured, kissing the back of Kelly’s neck lightly.
“I’m sure,” Kelly snorted, wriggling back against him. “Get some sleep, Nick.”
Nick mumbled against his skin, but he was snoring in no time. His arms tightened. Kelly tried not to be too disappointed.
The next morning, Kelly woke up on his back with Nick nowhere in sight. It wasn’t unusual. He took his time getting out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved shirt from his bag. He found Nick in the tiny kitchen, fully naked and cooking breakfast.
“I’d hate for some of that bacon grease to damage that beautiful dick of yours,” Kelly announced himself. He leaned up against the wall and admired Nick’s backside.
“Like you’d complain if my dick tasted like bacon,” Nick replied. He glanced over his shoulder, briefly looking Kelly over. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed, but I guess that’s not gonna happen.”
“You would have had better luck waking me up with sex.”
“I wasn’t sure. Last night…”
“Look, it’s fine that you have to work. It sucks, but I’ll deal with it.”
“So you’ll still come?” Nick reached over to shut off the burner and turned, reaching for Kelly.
“Of course I’ll still come,” Kelly said, rolling his eyes. He stepped into Nick’s embrace and kissed him, mindful of the bacon still sizzling on the stove.
“Yeah you will,” Nick smirked, palming the side of Kelly’s neck.
“Shut up,” Kelly muttered, pushing him up against the counter away from the stove.
-- Christmas --
Nick had promised Kelly he’d be home by two, but it was safe to assume he’d be missing that curfew. In a cramped, dark space Nick cleared his throat and pulled out his phone. How the hell he had service was beyond his knowledge. He thumbed to his recent calls and dialed the last person he’d spoken to.
Across the city, Kelly picked up his phone on the second ring, dragged out of a deep sleep. Nick had gone to work around six, so getting a call at midnight wasn’t something he’d planned for. Hearing Nick’s voice wasn’t part of the plan, either.
“Hey,” he groaned, pressing the phone to his ear. He stretched out across the empty side of the bed, rolling onto his elbows.
“I don’t think I’m gonna make it home, Kels.”
“Babe?” Kelly rubbed at his eyes and turned, sitting up. He fumbled tiredly with the light. “Where are you?”
“Stuck.” Nick sounded muffled, like the phone was farther away from his mouth than usual.
“And you’re not gonna make it home,” Kelly added, smiling softly in the dim light. “You mean tonight, right? Are they making you pull a double shift?”
“No. Kelly...”
“What is it?” He rubbed at his eyes again, pulling the covers back so he could slide out of bed. In the low light, he stretched, stifling a yawn so he could hear Nick’s reply.
“I love you.”
“Me too, Lucky. What’s going on?” Kelly wrapped one arm around his middle and looked out the tiny portside window. It was a moonless night, but there was just enough light coming from the marina that he could clearly see the dock.
“I got myself into some, uh... trouble, Kels.”
Just like that, his entire body went cold. His mouth went dry. “Shit. What’s going on? What happened? Where are you? I’ll call Six, Owen might be in the area -”
“It’s too late for that, Kels.” Nick coughed, obviously fighting for air. “I gotta go.”
“No, don’t you dare - Nick,” Kelly shouted into the phone, but it was already dead. “Fuck! God damnit, Irish.” He stared down at his phone and muttered, “‘Too late’, my ass.”
He punched in a number from memory and prayed that Ty would pick up.
“Doc, you better be dead or close to it because I am in the middle of -”
“Ty,” Kelly cut in, already moving to the end of the bed.
“What’s wrong?” Ty asked slowly.
“Nick’s in trouble. He went in to work and he just called and said… He said he wasn’t coming home.”
“Kels, he could just be too tired to drive home from the precinct.” Ty sounded doubtful, even as he suggested it.
“Yeah, that’s why he hung up on me,” Kelly snapped.
“Alright, alright. What the fuck do you think I can do from here? It’s an hour and a half flight, Kelly, if he’s in trouble -”
“You’re the only person close enough, Ty.”
“Who’s that?” Zane’s muffled voice came over the line.
“Hey! Put Zane on!” Kelly shouted, shooting to his feet. He pulled on his jeans in a hurry, struggling to get dressed as fast as he could.
“This is Zane.”
“Zane, tell me you’re as much of a computer nerd as Ty says you are.”
He was silent for a long moment. “A bit, yeah.”
Kelly took a deep breath. “Okay. I need you to work some nerd magic for me.”
--
Two days later, Nick opened his eyes to the sight of a sterile looking hospital room and a vague recollection of his last hour of consciousness. There had been a lot of swearing, but mostly the feeling that his past had finally caught up to him.
He tried to lift his head, but it felt twenty times heavier than usual and he gave up. Just as he was about to try moving the rest of his body, a familiar face walked in.
Kelly had dark circles under his eyes and his clothes were wrinkled, but he had a tray of food in his hands. He smiled tiredly as he rounded Nick’s bed, dropping the tray on the small table by Nick’s bed.
“Hey, babe. You in there today?”
Nick frowned and swallowed, grateful when Kelly helped him to sit up. His throat was raw and dry, so he simply nodded.
“Good,” Kelly said softly. He set his hand on Nick’s arm and squeezed gently. “Thirsty?” Nick nodded again, and Kelly picked up the cup of ice water he’d brought. He held it against Nick’s lips and tilted it carefully, patiently letting it trickle into his mouth. Once Nick had swallowed the whole cup, he coughed lightly.
“Not that I’m complaining, but how the fuck am I alive?” Nick swallowed roughly and coughed again. He wasn’t prepared for the glare Kelly leveled at him, especially after he’d been so gentle. Kelly reached out and smacked his arm in a place that had no bandages.
“You’re alive because I didn’t give up. Asshole.”
Nick blinked slowly and lowered his gaze to his lap, trying to remember what had happened that night. He remembered his phone call to Kelly better than anything else. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“It’s not me you should be thanking,” Kelly sighed. He walked back to the door, leaned out into the hall, put his fingers to his lips, and whistled down the hallway. In just a few seconds, the rest of his team rushed in. Digger led the way, followed closely by a scowling Owen, and Ty brought up the rear with Zane in tow. The moment they saw his eyes were open, they all started in on him.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Did you even try getting out?”
“You couldn’t call the rest of us and say goodbye?”
Nick groaned and dropped his head back against the bed, his gaze flickering over to Kelly, who sighed.
“He’s drugged out of his fucking mind. You guys should save this for when he’ll actually remember it. Everyone out,” he said, flapping his hands.
Mumbling, Digger and Owen turned on their heels, reluctantly stepping back out into the hall. Ty let go of Zane’s hand and stepped forward, briefly meeting Kelly’s gaze. Kelly nodded minutely and followed the others out, throwing his arm around Zane as he caught up.
Nick watched as Ty stepped up. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and he looked like he might’ve slept even worse than Kelly, if it were possible. He looked over Nick from head to toe, even though he knew exactly where his injuries were, and forced a smile when he met Nick’s gaze.
“I know you don’t want to talk about our shit, O, but isn’t this kind of an extreme way to avoid it?”
Nick snorted, and then winced as a dull pain flared in his ribs. He pursed his lips and lifted his chin.
“Love you, brother,” Ty murmured. He patted Nick’s knee and turned to leave again, passing Kelly as he made his exit.
Kelly glanced over his shoulder and crawled onto the bed next to Nick, mindful of his many bandages.
Nick couldn’t quite feel all of his extremities yet, but he could tell by the lump and the vague memory of his leg being trapped under something heavy that he had a cast on his left leg. He carefully lifted his arm and wrapped it around Kelly’s shoulders as he got comfortable, resting his cheek against the top of Kelly’s head.
“Thanks for pulling me out of that tunnel,” Nick said softly, his voice barely a whisper. He fought another round of coughing as Kelly shook his head.
“I told you, it wasn’t me. Zane’s the one who tracked your phone, and I don’t even know how he did it.”
“No,” Nick shook his head. “I mean, thanks for not giving up on me.”
Kelly paused, his hand fisted in Nick’s hospital gown. “You have unfinished business, remember?”
Nick swallowed hard, pressing his cheek harder against Kelly’s head. “Yeah Kels. I remember.”
“Good. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m never gonna be done with you, O’Flaherty.”
Nick merely nodded and pressed a kiss to Kelly’s temple.