![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
riptide_asylumTitle: Standing in the Alpha Beta parking lot
Rating: R
Summary: Grocery shopping delivers more than Nick bargains for.
Standing in the Alpha Beta Parking Lot
Watching you leave me
Not quite believing
Nick stared at Cody, standing at the end of the Baked Goods aisle, giving a cute little blonde cashier his best smile.
Nick loved that smile. He loved watching it break over Cody's face when they were just hanging out, swapping stories, passing the time. He loved making it appear, moving his hands over Cody's body, knowing where and how his best friend wanted to be touched. He loved seeing it first thing in the morning when he opened his eyes.
He couldn't say he was fond of seeing it squandered on cute little cashiers, though.
Cody leaned against the pizza freezer, crossing his arms. Nick turned away as the cashier shifted from one foot to the other, tossing her hair back over one uniformed shoulder.
Blondes, Nick thought, putting cooking oil in the basket. They're like catnip for him. He paused to compare the prices on two different brands of cornflakes, then tossed them both in the basket. I wonder if Boz can whip up an antidote.
Cody jogged up, shirtless under the blue hoodie and slightly out of breath. He caught Nick's expression. "What?"
Nick looked at his friend dolefully. "Having fun?"
Cody grinned. "Got her number."
"Great." Nick held up the basket. "I got steaks."
"Kristy's a vegetarian."
Nick scowled. "I'll just bet she is."
The two of them wandered down the aisle, side by side. Cody strolled along, pulling down items at random and tossing them into the basket Nick carried. Walnuts, more cooking oil, cake mix--
Nick raised his eyebrows. "Since when have you started baking?"
"It's a mix, Nick, how hard can it be?" He tossed it in the basket and walked ahead, heedless of Nick's questioning glare.
Cody always got like this when they got paid for a case--just in time, considering the sad state of their fridge right now--jaunty, whistling. Full of himself. Nick turned down the next aisle, his partner nowhere in sight.
Getting paid for a full day's work--plus in this case an all night stakeout and resulting gun battle, time spent down at the station, damages to the boat, and all of it fully reimbursed as of four hours ago--always put Cody in a great mood. Even if all he got to do with the mood was go grocery shopping.
Buying groceries usually put Nick in a good mood, too. A fridge full of the good stuff: - bacon, eggs, milk, beer - that made him feel like no matter how broke they were, they were doing something a little bit right. He grabbed a couple of packets of cold cuts and tossed them in next to the cornflakes, putting the cake mix, the walnuts and the second bottle of cooking oil back on a random shelf.
"Hey, what's eating you?" Cody asked, popping out from behind a display of canned peas. "Apart from..." He peered at the basket with a grin. "Cornflakes, milk--"
"Save it," Nick answered. He kept walking.
"Come on, Nick, seriously." Cody grabbed his sleeve and tugged him to a halt, blocking his progress down the aisle.
It had been four months since Sheila/Marcy had pulled her crazy act on Cody, but it still felt raw. The thought of coming that close to losing Cody ever again--watching him chase some elusive dream that discounted everything they had together--scared Nick worse than anything he could name. "Nothing, Cody. Absolutely nothing. I'm fine."
"You're not acting fine," Cody said. "Talk to me, buddy. What's going on?"
Nick looked at his friend. Where could he begin without sounding like an asshole? He hated to come off as jealous and possessive, but since Sheila, anytime he saw Cody flirting, it ripped the wounds she'd inflicted on them right open.
Cody must have read his feelings in his eyes, because he spoke quickly, into Nick's silence. "No, Nick, that's not it at all. Kristy asked me if I needed any help, we got to talking, and here's the thing: it turns out, she's studying--"
"Excuse me? Excuse me? There are other people shopping here, you know." Nick spun around to find a rotund man in Bermuda shorts and a combover staring at them in irritation. They both stepped to one side, and the man pushed past them. His cart contained a pile of frozen dinners and a fluffy white dog, who gave a perfunctory growl at them as it went past.
The two of them shared a look, and Cody grinned. "Nick, come on. I was just being polite. Like I was saying, Kristy, she's--"
"Oh, by the way," the man in the Bermuda shorts turned back to them. "Could either of you two help me reach down some peanut butter? The organic stuff's on the top shelf, and everything else wreaks havoc with Stella's digestive system." The small white dog gave an offended yip at the mention of her GI woes.
Nick sighed and nodded at Cody. "Yeah, he'll be happy to give you a hand."
Cody gave him a look: This isn't finished.
I sure hope not. Nick watched as his partner put on his best people-pleasing grin and followed Stella and her master down the aisle.
Looking at the half-filled basket, Nick returned to the task at hand, turning back the way he came and heading for the produce section. He bagged up a couple potatoes to go with the steaks and fought off the images that assailed him.
"I know you're pretty hung up on Sheila"....Cody lying in the hospital bed, swarmed with tubes and bandages...."I thought we were better friends than that"...Cody's hand in his, all the strength gone from it..."...going behind my back..."
Nick didn't realize he'd knocked a pile of potatoes off the display until Cody jogged up and laughed, collecting them as they rolled around the floor. But he saw the sea change in Cody's eyes as they lit on his face.
"Buddy, what's going on?" Cody grabbed his arm, dinner forgotten. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Nick stared at him. Where could he possibly begin? How could he tell Cody he was still fighting to break free of the doubts she'd left behind?
He didn't have to. Nick saw the penny drop.
"Nick, no." Cody lowered his voice. "I love you, buddy, now will you cut it out? You're scaring me. I love you."
Nick grabbed onto those three little words like a life preserver and opened his mouth to respond.
"Am I interrupting or something?"
Oh fuck me.
The little blonde cashier stood between them, looking from one to the other. Nick bit his lip and avoided looking at her, fixing his gaze on Cody.
"Nick, I ran into Kristy again: she's free for dinner tonight, so I invited her over. I figure we can grill, all of us hang out, have a few beers." Cody's voice sounded strangled.
"Isn't that great?" Kristy gave Nick a smile, but he was having trouble taking his eyes off his partner. "Here," she tugged at Cody's arm. "I live so far out of town, let me draw you a map to get to my house."
Cody stumbled over his feet as she pulled him away. He tossed Nick his wallet. "I'll be right back, Nick. I said I'd give her a ride..." Nick watched as Cody was dragged towards the front of the store.
Nick glared at his partner's retreating back and let out a long, controlled breath that felt like a knife in his chest. Great. Dinner with you, Murray and your new blonde vegetarian girlfriend sounds like a real blast, Cody. I'll try to contain my excitement. Nick started for the front of the store, all his enthusiasm at finally restocking the fridge now numbed, forgotten.
He chose a register at random, but didn't notice it was closed until the chain across the aisle cut into his waist and he nearly dropped the basket. Coming to his senses, he backtracked and headed for the only open one. Unpacking their basket onto the conveyor belt, tasting ashes in his mouth, he thought: You think you know a guy...
Looking around, Nick caught sight of Cody leaning against the door, one hand on his hip, smiling and nodding at the little blonde--Kristy, Nick reminded himself. He looked in the nearly empty basket and fought back nausea. A bottle of chocolate syrup and a can of whipped cream. He looked at them with irritation, then placed them on the conveyor, with the rest. Well. Someone at least should be having some fun tonight.
A yip came from behind him. Nick turned.
Stella and her owner glared at him. "Do you mind? Some of us don't have all night, you know."
So much for good deeds going unpunished. I hope you choke on your peanut butter, you mangy mutt. And your dog, too.
"47.19." His own cashier was a tiny brunette wearing way too much eyeshadow, at least a decade too young for him anyhow.
Nick snuck another glance over at Cody and pulled some bills out of his partner's wallet. "At least you're picking up dinner, pal," he muttered.
The cashier followed his glance. "I see Kristy really likes your friend over there."
Nick grimaced. "Yep. Sure looks that way."
She giggled. "Well, he is hot. And just her type, too."
Nick shook his head and stuffed the proffered change into the pocket of his jeans. He began bagging up the food, deliberately standing with his back to his partner. The cashier joined him. "You're not so bad yourself," she said. "Maybe we could go grab a cup of coffee sometime."
"I'm ta--" Nick thought about it for a second. Maybe he wasn't so taken after all. He stopped bagging and looked at the girl at his elbow. Her dark hair was held off her face by a blue plastic barrette shaped like a fish, and there was glitter in her eyeshadow. He revised his estimate of her age.
"Call me when you graduate," he said kindly.
"Whatever." She shrugged, and they finished bagging the groceries.
---
Eventually, Nick got sick of pretending any of it was okay. Excusing himself from dinner, he went downstairs and ran a sinkful of water in the head. He wondered how long he could get away with hiding. Well, it's his choice. Nick splashed water over his face. It was fun while it lasted.
He looked at his own rueful expression in the mirror. Hell, who am I kidding. It was amazing, better than breathing. Dammit, Cody.
Cody caught him as he opened the door. Nick couldn't meet his eyes, and turned to move past him in the narrow corridor. Cody put a hand on his shoulder.
"Nick, what's going on with you?" Cody whispered. "You've been growling at everyone in sight tonight. What's going on?"
Nick stared at him, eyes narrowed.
A slow grin spread over his partner's face. Nick fought the urge to strangle him.
Instead, Cody stepped in close. Nick brought his hands up to push him away, but Cody ducked his head, whispering softly. "Do you know how hot you are when you're jealous?"
Despite his irritation, Nick felt a familiar shiver at the brush of Cody's lips against his ear. Cody put both hands on Nick's shoulders, pinning him against the wall. "If it wasn't impolite with company aboard, I'd show you how hot, right here in the corridor," he whispered.
Nick started to push him away but wound up grabbing two fistfuls of his partner's sweater instead. "Don't you get it?" he whispered back. "This isn't fun for me! Watching you with treehugger girl up there, that's not fun!"
Cody's expression turned serious in a heartbeat. "Nick, take it easy. Kristy's working her way through grad school. She's getting her doctorate in artificial intelligence." Cody stepped back, his hands sliding down to rest gently on Nick's chest. "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, at the store. Robotics. She's studying robotics."
Oh. Shit. Nick let go of the sweater. "Boz."
Cody looked smug.
"You could have said something sooner!" Nick whispered angrily.
With a quick look back towards the stairs, Cody silenced Nick's protests with a smoldering kiss, one hand firm behind Nick's head. Then he pulled back, fear and frustration in his eyes. "I tried, but you volunteered me for peanut butter duty!"
They stared at each other in frustration for a second, then the inanity of that statement overcame them and they both cracked up. Nick pulled Cody back towards him, one arm sliding around his back, one hand soft against his cheek. "I thought..."
Cody kissed him again, softly, reassuring. When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against Nick's. "I know, buddy," he whispered. "And that's my fault. But you've gotta believe me, I love you. I love us." He kissed Nick's forehead. "I love you, Nick. I love you. Don't do this."
Nick closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Cody's skin, the heat of him, the sound of Cody's voice saying the words that kept his heart beating. His partner kissed him again, lightly, on each temple. "Nick, trust me, please? Trust us."
He took a deep breath. "Cody, it's just that--"
"Yeah, I know. I know I fucked it up, and if I could go back and change it, I would. Believe me, Nick, I love you so damn much. We've gotta get past it. Please, buddy, work with me on this?"
Nick balled his fists in Cody's sweater, overwhelmed by how much this hurt. How much being wrong hurt. How much moving forward hurt.
He looked up into Cody's eyes and realized no matter how badly it hurt, he'd do it a thousand times over, just to be near him, even for one more day.
"Nick," Cody whispered. "I love you. Trust me, and quit being such an idiot." He kissed Nick again.
Nick pulled back and stared in disbelief.
In a normal voice Cody continued, "Come on, let's get back upstairs and see what's for dessert." He turned and jogged back up the stairs to the salon, leaving Nick gaping.
Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. Blonds, he thought. What is it about blonds?
---
"I'm an idiot," Cody said softly. He and Nick were lying in a heap on Nick's bunk the next morning.
"Huh?" Nick lifted his head off his partner's arm. "No, man. Cody, I'm the idiot."
"You're also sticky," Cody said, running a finger down his partner's chest, tracing a line through the hair on his stomach. As Nick watched appreciatively, he licked his fingertip. The can of whipped cream lay on its side on the floor between the two bunks.
"Mmm. Your fault."
After dinner, Murray and Kristy had retired to Murray's room to make some adjustments to the Roboz. And all of Cody's cheerful smirks to the contrary, Nick suspected the Roboz was the only one who'd gotten lucky on that side of the boat. Kristy had definitely shot some wistful glances Cody's way.
He and Cody had taken dessert to their room.
"My fault?" Cody chuckled. He lay along the length of Nick's body, propping his head up with one hand. "Maybe so. But I didn't hear you say no at any point, buddy."
Nick settled closer. "I'm sure I said no at least once. Maybe even twice."
"Well, I did hear you say 'don't stop' a couple times. Maybe that's what you're thinking of."
"Yeah, you're right, that's it." Nick smiled, then leaned up and kissed Cody, strong and slow. He broke off suddenly, grabbing Cody's chin in one hand. "Tell me sooner next time, okay?"
Cody put his free hand over Nick's and pulled it away, leaving a kiss on his palm. "Count on it," he murmured, threading his fingers through Nick's.
Nick resettled in the curve of Cody's naked body, enjoying the feel of warm skin, the weight of Cody's thigh between his legs. "Better yet," he muttered, closing his eyes, "next time let Murray do his own damn shopping."
He felt Cody's grin against his shoulder and angled his head for a kiss. Cody didn't disappoint him.
Rating: R
Summary: Grocery shopping delivers more than Nick bargains for.
Standing in the Alpha Beta Parking Lot
Watching you leave me
Not quite believing
Nick stared at Cody, standing at the end of the Baked Goods aisle, giving a cute little blonde cashier his best smile.
Nick loved that smile. He loved watching it break over Cody's face when they were just hanging out, swapping stories, passing the time. He loved making it appear, moving his hands over Cody's body, knowing where and how his best friend wanted to be touched. He loved seeing it first thing in the morning when he opened his eyes.
He couldn't say he was fond of seeing it squandered on cute little cashiers, though.
Cody leaned against the pizza freezer, crossing his arms. Nick turned away as the cashier shifted from one foot to the other, tossing her hair back over one uniformed shoulder.
Blondes, Nick thought, putting cooking oil in the basket. They're like catnip for him. He paused to compare the prices on two different brands of cornflakes, then tossed them both in the basket. I wonder if Boz can whip up an antidote.
Cody jogged up, shirtless under the blue hoodie and slightly out of breath. He caught Nick's expression. "What?"
Nick looked at his friend dolefully. "Having fun?"
Cody grinned. "Got her number."
"Great." Nick held up the basket. "I got steaks."
"Kristy's a vegetarian."
Nick scowled. "I'll just bet she is."
The two of them wandered down the aisle, side by side. Cody strolled along, pulling down items at random and tossing them into the basket Nick carried. Walnuts, more cooking oil, cake mix--
Nick raised his eyebrows. "Since when have you started baking?"
"It's a mix, Nick, how hard can it be?" He tossed it in the basket and walked ahead, heedless of Nick's questioning glare.
Cody always got like this when they got paid for a case--just in time, considering the sad state of their fridge right now--jaunty, whistling. Full of himself. Nick turned down the next aisle, his partner nowhere in sight.
Getting paid for a full day's work--plus in this case an all night stakeout and resulting gun battle, time spent down at the station, damages to the boat, and all of it fully reimbursed as of four hours ago--always put Cody in a great mood. Even if all he got to do with the mood was go grocery shopping.
Buying groceries usually put Nick in a good mood, too. A fridge full of the good stuff: - bacon, eggs, milk, beer - that made him feel like no matter how broke they were, they were doing something a little bit right. He grabbed a couple of packets of cold cuts and tossed them in next to the cornflakes, putting the cake mix, the walnuts and the second bottle of cooking oil back on a random shelf.
"Hey, what's eating you?" Cody asked, popping out from behind a display of canned peas. "Apart from..." He peered at the basket with a grin. "Cornflakes, milk--"
"Save it," Nick answered. He kept walking.
"Come on, Nick, seriously." Cody grabbed his sleeve and tugged him to a halt, blocking his progress down the aisle.
It had been four months since Sheila/Marcy had pulled her crazy act on Cody, but it still felt raw. The thought of coming that close to losing Cody ever again--watching him chase some elusive dream that discounted everything they had together--scared Nick worse than anything he could name. "Nothing, Cody. Absolutely nothing. I'm fine."
"You're not acting fine," Cody said. "Talk to me, buddy. What's going on?"
Nick looked at his friend. Where could he begin without sounding like an asshole? He hated to come off as jealous and possessive, but since Sheila, anytime he saw Cody flirting, it ripped the wounds she'd inflicted on them right open.
Cody must have read his feelings in his eyes, because he spoke quickly, into Nick's silence. "No, Nick, that's not it at all. Kristy asked me if I needed any help, we got to talking, and here's the thing: it turns out, she's studying--"
"Excuse me? Excuse me? There are other people shopping here, you know." Nick spun around to find a rotund man in Bermuda shorts and a combover staring at them in irritation. They both stepped to one side, and the man pushed past them. His cart contained a pile of frozen dinners and a fluffy white dog, who gave a perfunctory growl at them as it went past.
The two of them shared a look, and Cody grinned. "Nick, come on. I was just being polite. Like I was saying, Kristy, she's--"
"Oh, by the way," the man in the Bermuda shorts turned back to them. "Could either of you two help me reach down some peanut butter? The organic stuff's on the top shelf, and everything else wreaks havoc with Stella's digestive system." The small white dog gave an offended yip at the mention of her GI woes.
Nick sighed and nodded at Cody. "Yeah, he'll be happy to give you a hand."
Cody gave him a look: This isn't finished.
I sure hope not. Nick watched as his partner put on his best people-pleasing grin and followed Stella and her master down the aisle.
Looking at the half-filled basket, Nick returned to the task at hand, turning back the way he came and heading for the produce section. He bagged up a couple potatoes to go with the steaks and fought off the images that assailed him.
"I know you're pretty hung up on Sheila"....Cody lying in the hospital bed, swarmed with tubes and bandages...."I thought we were better friends than that"...Cody's hand in his, all the strength gone from it..."...going behind my back..."
Nick didn't realize he'd knocked a pile of potatoes off the display until Cody jogged up and laughed, collecting them as they rolled around the floor. But he saw the sea change in Cody's eyes as they lit on his face.
"Buddy, what's going on?" Cody grabbed his arm, dinner forgotten. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Nick stared at him. Where could he possibly begin? How could he tell Cody he was still fighting to break free of the doubts she'd left behind?
He didn't have to. Nick saw the penny drop.
"Nick, no." Cody lowered his voice. "I love you, buddy, now will you cut it out? You're scaring me. I love you."
Nick grabbed onto those three little words like a life preserver and opened his mouth to respond.
"Am I interrupting or something?"
Oh fuck me.
The little blonde cashier stood between them, looking from one to the other. Nick bit his lip and avoided looking at her, fixing his gaze on Cody.
"Nick, I ran into Kristy again: she's free for dinner tonight, so I invited her over. I figure we can grill, all of us hang out, have a few beers." Cody's voice sounded strangled.
"Isn't that great?" Kristy gave Nick a smile, but he was having trouble taking his eyes off his partner. "Here," she tugged at Cody's arm. "I live so far out of town, let me draw you a map to get to my house."
Cody stumbled over his feet as she pulled him away. He tossed Nick his wallet. "I'll be right back, Nick. I said I'd give her a ride..." Nick watched as Cody was dragged towards the front of the store.
Nick glared at his partner's retreating back and let out a long, controlled breath that felt like a knife in his chest. Great. Dinner with you, Murray and your new blonde vegetarian girlfriend sounds like a real blast, Cody. I'll try to contain my excitement. Nick started for the front of the store, all his enthusiasm at finally restocking the fridge now numbed, forgotten.
He chose a register at random, but didn't notice it was closed until the chain across the aisle cut into his waist and he nearly dropped the basket. Coming to his senses, he backtracked and headed for the only open one. Unpacking their basket onto the conveyor belt, tasting ashes in his mouth, he thought: You think you know a guy...
Looking around, Nick caught sight of Cody leaning against the door, one hand on his hip, smiling and nodding at the little blonde--Kristy, Nick reminded himself. He looked in the nearly empty basket and fought back nausea. A bottle of chocolate syrup and a can of whipped cream. He looked at them with irritation, then placed them on the conveyor, with the rest. Well. Someone at least should be having some fun tonight.
A yip came from behind him. Nick turned.
Stella and her owner glared at him. "Do you mind? Some of us don't have all night, you know."
So much for good deeds going unpunished. I hope you choke on your peanut butter, you mangy mutt. And your dog, too.
"47.19." His own cashier was a tiny brunette wearing way too much eyeshadow, at least a decade too young for him anyhow.
Nick snuck another glance over at Cody and pulled some bills out of his partner's wallet. "At least you're picking up dinner, pal," he muttered.
The cashier followed his glance. "I see Kristy really likes your friend over there."
Nick grimaced. "Yep. Sure looks that way."
She giggled. "Well, he is hot. And just her type, too."
Nick shook his head and stuffed the proffered change into the pocket of his jeans. He began bagging up the food, deliberately standing with his back to his partner. The cashier joined him. "You're not so bad yourself," she said. "Maybe we could go grab a cup of coffee sometime."
"I'm ta--" Nick thought about it for a second. Maybe he wasn't so taken after all. He stopped bagging and looked at the girl at his elbow. Her dark hair was held off her face by a blue plastic barrette shaped like a fish, and there was glitter in her eyeshadow. He revised his estimate of her age.
"Call me when you graduate," he said kindly.
"Whatever." She shrugged, and they finished bagging the groceries.
---
Eventually, Nick got sick of pretending any of it was okay. Excusing himself from dinner, he went downstairs and ran a sinkful of water in the head. He wondered how long he could get away with hiding. Well, it's his choice. Nick splashed water over his face. It was fun while it lasted.
He looked at his own rueful expression in the mirror. Hell, who am I kidding. It was amazing, better than breathing. Dammit, Cody.
Cody caught him as he opened the door. Nick couldn't meet his eyes, and turned to move past him in the narrow corridor. Cody put a hand on his shoulder.
"Nick, what's going on with you?" Cody whispered. "You've been growling at everyone in sight tonight. What's going on?"
Nick stared at him, eyes narrowed.
A slow grin spread over his partner's face. Nick fought the urge to strangle him.
Instead, Cody stepped in close. Nick brought his hands up to push him away, but Cody ducked his head, whispering softly. "Do you know how hot you are when you're jealous?"
Despite his irritation, Nick felt a familiar shiver at the brush of Cody's lips against his ear. Cody put both hands on Nick's shoulders, pinning him against the wall. "If it wasn't impolite with company aboard, I'd show you how hot, right here in the corridor," he whispered.
Nick started to push him away but wound up grabbing two fistfuls of his partner's sweater instead. "Don't you get it?" he whispered back. "This isn't fun for me! Watching you with treehugger girl up there, that's not fun!"
Cody's expression turned serious in a heartbeat. "Nick, take it easy. Kristy's working her way through grad school. She's getting her doctorate in artificial intelligence." Cody stepped back, his hands sliding down to rest gently on Nick's chest. "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, at the store. Robotics. She's studying robotics."
Oh. Shit. Nick let go of the sweater. "Boz."
Cody looked smug.
"You could have said something sooner!" Nick whispered angrily.
With a quick look back towards the stairs, Cody silenced Nick's protests with a smoldering kiss, one hand firm behind Nick's head. Then he pulled back, fear and frustration in his eyes. "I tried, but you volunteered me for peanut butter duty!"
They stared at each other in frustration for a second, then the inanity of that statement overcame them and they both cracked up. Nick pulled Cody back towards him, one arm sliding around his back, one hand soft against his cheek. "I thought..."
Cody kissed him again, softly, reassuring. When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against Nick's. "I know, buddy," he whispered. "And that's my fault. But you've gotta believe me, I love you. I love us." He kissed Nick's forehead. "I love you, Nick. I love you. Don't do this."
Nick closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Cody's skin, the heat of him, the sound of Cody's voice saying the words that kept his heart beating. His partner kissed him again, lightly, on each temple. "Nick, trust me, please? Trust us."
He took a deep breath. "Cody, it's just that--"
"Yeah, I know. I know I fucked it up, and if I could go back and change it, I would. Believe me, Nick, I love you so damn much. We've gotta get past it. Please, buddy, work with me on this?"
Nick balled his fists in Cody's sweater, overwhelmed by how much this hurt. How much being wrong hurt. How much moving forward hurt.
He looked up into Cody's eyes and realized no matter how badly it hurt, he'd do it a thousand times over, just to be near him, even for one more day.
"Nick," Cody whispered. "I love you. Trust me, and quit being such an idiot." He kissed Nick again.
Nick pulled back and stared in disbelief.
In a normal voice Cody continued, "Come on, let's get back upstairs and see what's for dessert." He turned and jogged back up the stairs to the salon, leaving Nick gaping.
Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. Blonds, he thought. What is it about blonds?
---
"I'm an idiot," Cody said softly. He and Nick were lying in a heap on Nick's bunk the next morning.
"Huh?" Nick lifted his head off his partner's arm. "No, man. Cody, I'm the idiot."
"You're also sticky," Cody said, running a finger down his partner's chest, tracing a line through the hair on his stomach. As Nick watched appreciatively, he licked his fingertip. The can of whipped cream lay on its side on the floor between the two bunks.
"Mmm. Your fault."
After dinner, Murray and Kristy had retired to Murray's room to make some adjustments to the Roboz. And all of Cody's cheerful smirks to the contrary, Nick suspected the Roboz was the only one who'd gotten lucky on that side of the boat. Kristy had definitely shot some wistful glances Cody's way.
He and Cody had taken dessert to their room.
"My fault?" Cody chuckled. He lay along the length of Nick's body, propping his head up with one hand. "Maybe so. But I didn't hear you say no at any point, buddy."
Nick settled closer. "I'm sure I said no at least once. Maybe even twice."
"Well, I did hear you say 'don't stop' a couple times. Maybe that's what you're thinking of."
"Yeah, you're right, that's it." Nick smiled, then leaned up and kissed Cody, strong and slow. He broke off suddenly, grabbing Cody's chin in one hand. "Tell me sooner next time, okay?"
Cody put his free hand over Nick's and pulled it away, leaving a kiss on his palm. "Count on it," he murmured, threading his fingers through Nick's.
Nick resettled in the curve of Cody's naked body, enjoying the feel of warm skin, the weight of Cody's thigh between his legs. "Better yet," he muttered, closing his eyes, "next time let Murray do his own damn shopping."
He felt Cody's grin against his shoulder and angled his head for a kiss. Cody didn't disappoint him.
