Deuce Does Boston Day One

Co-written by tumblr!Deuce and tumblr!Nick

FRIDAY

Nick couldn’t get off of work early to pick Deuce up from the airport so he rented a town car to transport D from Logan International to Boston Harbor Marina. He had the car pick Johnny up first and left him with instructions to meet Deuce and explain the situation and make sure he got settled on the boat. Johnny was a kid Nick had rescued from the streets a few years ago and had gotten into foster care. Since then, Nick has given him, or gotten him, odd jobs to do to help with pocket money while he took agricultural classes at the local college. Nick also slipped him some extra money on the side from time to time but Johnny liked to earn his keep. Having seen what Johnny had come from, and what he was working hard to become, Nick was proud of the kid, and he felt a vested interest in Johnny’s future.

Deuce groaned as he gripped the seat in front of him, using it to push himself into a standing position, shaking his head slightly as he looked around the crowded plane.  If he hadn't screwed up the dates of the conference, he would have been able to get a first class seat, but since he hadn't realized his mistake in time, he was stuck with a very cramped seat in coach. Even with the supposed extra leg-room the airline boasted about having, his six-foot-four frame was very cramped in the tiny seats. And, with his luck being what it was, he was stuck with a window seat and no way to stretch his legs. He was just thankful that the flight was only an hour and a half. Any longer and he just might have snapped and killed something just to get off the plane.

When the aisle was finally clear enough for him to get out with relative ease, he eased himself out, his hand absently rubbing his injured leg as he reached his other hand up to open the overhead bin, pulling his duffel bag out and slung it over his shoulder. When he finally made it into the airport, he laughed at the idiots that were staring at the still empty baggage carousel. He never checked baggage unless he was desperate. It saved so much time and he never had the patience to deal with the crowds. He gave the airport another once-over before making his way toward the exit, his eyes scanning the crowds for Nick. He was a little confused when he didn't see the strawberry blonde anywhere, but the appearance of a young man in his peripheral vision caught his eye and caused him to turn. He was surprised when the young man knew his name, but the quick explanation left him laughing and following Johnny to the car.

The ride to Boston Harbor was anything but quiet, not that Deuce had a chance to get a word in edge-wise. From the moment he got into the car with Johnny, the kid never once stopped talking, and the subject of each and every conversation was the one and only Nick O'Flaherty. Deuce couldn't help but smile at the obvious hero-worship that was going on with Johnny.  From what he could tell, Johnny was a good kid and he could think of worse people to look up to. Nick was a good guy and he'd help the kid out however he could.  

When Deuce finally found himself alone in Nick's place, in blessed peace and quiet, he slowly took in everything that was surrounding him, shaking his head slightly at the fact that he was standing on a fucking yacht. And people thought he was showing off when he moved into a penthouse... but somehow, the yacht just seemed right for Nick. It was crazy, but Deuce suddenly couldn't imagine the cop living anywhere else.  He glanced over at the clock on the wall, Nick wouldn't be home for hours and he needed to find a way to keep himself busy. He chewed on his lower lip as he glanced around the room, telling himself that no matter how much he wanted to do it to soothe his curiosity, snooping wouldn't make the best first impression of the first time that he and Nick were actually alone together without Ty around.

A few minutes later, Deuce found himself shoulder-deep in the refrigerator, pulling out a can of Dr. Pepper and grabbing a bag of potato chips off of the counter, kicking his shoes off as he made his way back to the living room. "Maybe I can get some work done..."

He pulled his Mac out of the bag, settling in with his feet propped up on the coffee table, opening up a few files and setting into work, letting patients and case files completely consume him as he relaxed into the black leather couch.

For the first time in a long time Nick was looking forward to getting off duty and going home. It was sort of nice knowing there’d be someone there waiting for him. Not only would it break up the monotony of either hanging at McFadden’s with the usual suspects or sitting home alone, he had to admit he was looking forward to hanging with Deuce as well. He’d first met D about fifteen years ago when Ty had taken Nick home on leave that year. Deuce was cool, and unlike Nick’s volatile relationship with his own older brother, Ty and Deuce were close. There wasn’t any sibling rivalry or competition there; they were more like partners in crime and Nick really admired that.

He’d hung out with Deuce several times over the years, always in Ty’s presence of course, and he always liked and respected D. Like Ty, he was a bit of a smart ass, but unlike Ty who was a bundle of nerves always looking for an outlet much like Nick was himself, D was calmer, more settled and level headed. Although Nick always viewed Deuce as Ty’s kid brother, even though they weren’t even two years apart, lately he’d gotten to know Deuce a bit better and was starting to see him as a potential friend in his own right. They’d been chatting on the computer, sending the occasional text and even exchanged a phone call or two. D seemed to sense Nick’s unrest of late and had reached out to him on a professional level as well. He even made some phone calls for Nick, and hooked him up with a therapist in Boston, though Nick had yet to make an appointment with her, still, it was a very thoughtful gesture and Nick found it kind of touching. So yeah, he was looking forward to spending some time alone with Deuce and really getting to know him better, especially after sitting next to him at dinner two weeks ago after the Team Sidewinder outing. They didn’t get to talk all that much, but they were able to sneak in quick conversations here and there and Nick had to admit he’d felt a spark between them. Yeah, it was most likely one sided, but that was okay, it would still be fun to hang out together and crush on Deuce secretly a little bit.

He entered the salon to find Deuce sitting on the black leather sectional hunched over a laptop perched on his lap. 

“Hey D.”

Deuce looked up with a smile,”Oh, hey Nick.” He placed his computer on the coffee table as he stood in greeting, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Yeah, I’m sneaky like that,” Nick smiled back as they did the whole clasped hands, cross hug, pat on the back bro thing. Nick looked him over.

“You settled in ok?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Deuce nodded, “Johnny hooked me up. He made sure to point out the Dr. Pepper in the fridge and the Ruffles you bought, thanks for that by the way, and he even insisted on carrying my bag to my room.”

“Good, good.” Nick rubbed the back of his neck, “I won’t have to whip him then.”

“Yes, please don’t do that.” Deuce rolled his eyes with a smirk. He looked around the spacious salon, “Some place you’ve got here.”

“Eh, its home.” Nick shrugged, feeling slightly ashamed by the ostentatious appearance of the yacht. His buddies teased him and made him feel like he was a show off for buying it, but he’d always loved the water and figured if he was going to live on it, he might as well do it comfortably. If he was being honest though, their ribbing did sting a bit.

“It’s a little more than a home my friend,” Deuce chuckled, “It’s a fucking floating mansion.” D pursed his lips, “hmm…that explains it.”

“Explains what?” Nick asked, feeling the familiar defenses rise as he waiting to see what D had to add.

“Johnny,” Deuce said, feigning a serious face with furrowed brows and all. “He is your butler, right?”

Nick relaxed immediately when it appeared D was truly just teasing for fun and not to imply that Nick was a show off.

 “Housekeeper actually.” Nick replied with a smile, “Wasn’t he wearing his French maid’s outfit?”

“Oh God,” Deuce shook his head as he sat back down on the sofa, “I really don’t want to know.”

“Nah, he’s just a kid I like to help out.” Nick laughed, “Monetarily only.” He clarified.

“He told me.” Deuce nodded with a small smile, “The whole story. He likes to talk that one.”

“Oh God yeah,” Nick slid his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants, feeling his cheeks flush. He may be more blondish brown then red, but he still possessed the full brunt of that damn ginger flushing gene. “Sorry about that. I hope he didn’t drive you bat shit.”

“Not at all, he’s a nice kid.” Deuce tilted his head slightly, as if to study Nick from the inside, and Nick felt his blush spread farther. Jesus, what did that kid tell D? Maybe Johnny was going to get that whipping after all.

Nick cleared his throat and shrugged, deciding to change the subject, “So, you hungry?”

Deuce nodded, “I could eat.” He motioned toward his computer, “Got caught up in some work and skipped lunch, just had a bag of chips.” He sighed, “And ya know, they don’t even give you nuts on the damn plane anymore.”

“I know, cheap fuckers.” Nick agreed, “Well, I’m gonna go take a quick shower and get ready.” He said as he looked at his watch “I made reservations for that seafood place I told you about, since I won the bet and all you promised to take me somewhere fancy.” Nick gave D a quick wink, “We should leave in about forty five, yeah?”

Nick and Deuce had bet on the Red Sox/Phillies, best out of three. Even though the Sox had beaten the Phills, Nick didn’t have any intention of really letting Deuce pay for dinner. So what it wasn’t a real date, Nick would still enjoy it. Besides, D had already picked up the check for the last dinner they’d shared together.

“Yeah, sounds good, glad I brought the big credit card.” Deuce answered with a smirk, placing his Mac back on his lap, “I’ll just finish up here and get changed.”

Nick nodded and headed for the stairs that led down to his room, but paused before his descent to take another look at Deuce. He was a good looking man, no denying that. He was a little taller than Ty, not as broad and muscular but definitely fit. There was an unquestionable family resemblance there, possessing the same full lips, dark hair and hazel eye combination that drove Nick wild, yet he didn’t see Ty when he looked at Deuce. No, D had grown into a man all his own. Yup he sure had, but a man off limits none the less. Definitely. Off. Limits. In bold flashing lights and sirens. He wasn’t just his best friend’s little brother, he was also straight and had a girlfriend. Yeah, Nick shook his head as he made his way down the spiral staircase, way off limits. He had a feeling he may have to remind himself of that more than a few times in the next several days.

When Nick disappeared downstairs, Deuce sighed softly as he cocked his head, watching him go with an amused expression on his face. He had known Nick for years; they had met years before when he was home on break from college. He had no idea that Ty was planning on coming to visit during his spring break and when he tackled his brother in greeting, he realized that they were being laughed at by the Marine that was standing behind them. Ty had left his arm where it was around Deuce's shoulders as he introduced him to Nick. There was a quick and easy friendship formed between the three of them and they spent the week in the woods just being young and getting to know one another.  It had been a great week that ended up with all three of them getting poison ivy, but in Deuce's opinion, it was worth it.

The past few weeks of chatting with Nick online had been more than a little interesting.  He had been oblivious to the fact that Nick was flirting at first, but as time passed, it started to become hard to ignore. And then when he was feeling brave, he couldn't help but tease the Irishman back. There was something about it that just felt right despite the fact that he was a taken man. Though that didn't stop the fact that he found himself thinking about Nick when he was lying awake at night. He couldn't quite figure out why, but whatever it was, it was different and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. A quick glance at the clock on his computer told him that he had spent entirely too much time thinking about Nick (again) and that if he didn't get a move on he was going to still be sitting on the couch when Nick came back upstairs. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he closed the files and then the computer, leaving it where it was on the coffee table, knowing it would be safe from prying eyes.

Deuce made his way into the spare cabin, quickly changing into a pair of pants and his favorite blue shirt, knowing from past experience that the shirt looked good on him. And maybe he just wanted to impress someone tonight. When he made his way back to the main level, he gave Nick a subtle once-over, noticing that the shirt he was wearing was a perfect match to his eyes.

"So, we all ready to go?" he asked as he slipped on his shoes, doing a quick pocket pat-down to make sure that he had his wallet and phone. He may have been away from Philly, but he could always get emergency calls at any time. He was keeping his fingers crossed though, for a relaxing few days with no emergencies.

Nick put on his good watch and dressed in nice black pants with a soft green button down. Not because the color brought out the ivy leaf hue in his eyes, or because he was trying to impress Deuce or anything. Nope. He didn’t have much of a chance to dress up, so it was just nice to be able to do so, end of. He put some gel in his hair to tame the unruly curls that popped up whenever he needed a haircut. Whatever. It was a nice restaurant and he had to look presentable was all.

D dressed in dark grey slacks and a blue button down that Nick thought looked fan-fucking-tactic on him; just in a man innocently admiring another man’s good looks kind of way of course.

“Yeah,” Nick finally answered, realizing a bit too late what Deuce had asked. He’d been momentarily distracted by the man who’d spoken. “Let’s roll.”

Nick had made reservations at Anthony’s Pier Four, a fairly upscale seafood joint located right on the Harbor.  He’d always wanted to eat there since he was a kid but never seemed to find the chance. He loved his boys from town but they certainly wouldn’t know how to act there, and he surely never cared enough about any girl he was fucking to want to impress her or lead her into thinking he wanted something more serious than he did.  He considered bringing his Gran once or twice, but he knew she’d just complain about the prices. He could hear her now, ‘Nicky, this is ridiculous, twelve dollars for a bowl of lobster bisque that I can make better myself?’  He figured the next time Ty and Zane were in Boston for play instead of work he’d bring them, but when the opportunity arose with this visit from Deuce he couldn’t pass up the chance.

As soon as they were seated at a table for two Nick realized his mistake. With the white table cloth, candle light and view of the harbor it was awfully romantic. Sure Nick enjoyed flirting with Deuce electronically and D was always good natured about it, but he didn’t want Deuce to think he was trying to seduce him and run for the hills. He tentatively peaked at Deuce from over the leather bound menu but Deuce was looking out over the harbor, a small smile on his lips, seemingly taking it all in stride.

“Nice view,” Deuce said, turning his head towards Nick, his eyes lingering on the water a moment longer before meeting Nick’s, “All of the twinkly lights on the boats anchored out there.”

“Yeah,” Nick agreed, slowly turning to look out of the window, having a hard time prying his eyes from the view he was truly referring to, “I love the water.”

“Figured,” Deuce smirked, “With you living on a yacht and all.”

“It’s just a boat,” Nick shrugged as he turned his attention back to his menu.

“Why do you do that?” Deuce asked after a moment.

Nick flicked his eyes back up to look at his handsome dinner companion, “Do what?”

“Get all weird about the…boat,” he lifted his eyebrows, “I noticed it before. It’s like you're ashamed or something.”

“No,” Nick shook his head, “Not…ashamed. Just…” he shook his head again.

“Just?” Deuce raised his eyebrows as he crossed his hands over his menu, leaning slightly forward.

“I don’t know. My buddies sometimes give me a hard time. Like they think I’ve changed because I have money now. It’s not true though. I’m still…I mean I have changed but not in that way. I’ve…grown up I guess.” Nick smirked and wiggled his eyebrows adding, “Somewhat.”

“You shouldn’t let what they say bother you,” Deuce said, ignoring Nick’s attempt at lightening the subject, “You deserve everything you have you know? You nearly died for your country. I may not know exactly what you and Ty went through, but I have a fairly good idea. Besides, you still risk your life at your job to protect people now. So don’t let them, or anyone else, make you feel bad about what you’ve more than earned the right to have.”

Nick nodded, unable to form words. Damn Deuce. How did he do that? Read Nick and make him admit something he’d never said out loud before. Make him feel so damn good with just a few simple sentences. Because it’s his job asshole, his brain reminded him, it’s not because you’re anything special to him. He probably makes everyone feel that way.

When a pretty blond waitress came over to their table and introduced herself as Rebecca, Nick flirted briefly out of habit. Deuce teasingly promised her he’d keep Nick under control before she started to read off the specials. Nick lost focus after King Salmon Gravlax, which was pretty much the first thing out of her mouth. He couldn’t stop himself from stealing glances at Deuce’s perfect profile as D nodded and smiled, asking the occasional question as he listened intently to what the blonde was pimping. Fuck, it wasn’t like this was the first time he’d been around Deuce, what was his problem? Why was he suddenly enraptured by Deuces looks, the way he talked with just a hint of West Virginian twang, every little gesture he made with his long fingered hands? Why did he want nothing more than to say fuck seafood and drag Deuce into the nearest bathroom to have his cock for dinner instead?

“Nick?” Deuce’s voice broke through Nick’s revelry.

Nick blinked his attention into focus and noticed D and the server staring at him expectantly and felt that damn blush return. What the fuck? He hadn’t blushed this much since he got caught jerking off in the bathrooms at St. Bridgit’s when he was twelve and sister Anne made him write, I will keep my hand in appropriate places fifty times on the chalk board in front of his snickering seventh grade class.

“I’ll give you guys a minute and come back.” Rebecca smiled at them both before walking away.

“Where’d you go?” Deuce asked with a slight tilt of his head.

Nick shook his head and looked back at the menu, bouncing his leg on the ball of his foot, “Anything sound good?”

“The steamed clam linguine sounded interesting,” Deuce answered, perusing his menu, “But I think I’m going to skip the appetizers and get a salad and the Cajun Style Yellow Tuna. What about you?”

“I’m probably going to have the Roasted Seafood combo. A little bit of everything.”

“You and your commitment issues.” Deuce teased.

Nick smiled, “Yeah well, why settle for one when there are plenty of fish in the sea.”

Deuce snorted with a shake of his head, “Oh Nick, your puns. You’re slowly torturing me, you know that right?”

Nick just smiled at him, thinking the feelings mutual buddy. “Let’s get the raw bar platter for an appetizer and we can split.”

Deuce scrunched his face up, “Ew, no.”

“Why?”

“Raw oysters and clams? No thanks. “Deuce answered, “I don’t particularly fancy swallowing slimy shit.”

That’s okay baby you can spit, I won’t be offended. Fuck. Nick needed to get a grip and focus. They weren’t discussing blow jobs for fuck’s sake. “Have you ever tried it, ah...them?”

“No. And I think it’s safe to say I never will.”

“Oh, I so disagree with that sentiment.” On so many levels.  “You can’t knock something until you try it.”

“In this case, trust me; I don’t need to know firsthand that I’m not going to enjoy it.”

“Oh baby, you are so wrong.” Deuce raised an eyebrow at the term of endearment. Nick laughed it off. Thank God his playful flirting had gone on long enough that the slip of his tongue could be chalked up to harmless fun. “Listen, order whatever you’d like, I’m getting the raw shit and maybe when it comes I’ll be able to convince you.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” Deuce answered.

Funny he’d said that, because dammit if Nick suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Bright hazel eyes watched Nick from across the table, carefully studying the other man’s sudden flush and hesitant words. Sure, Nick had been flirting with him for weeks over the internet, but being called baby in person was something that had thrown Deuce for a loop. There was no way that he liked it, nope, not at all. At least that's what he kept telling himself. Nick had always been a flirt, that's something that Deuce had seen multiple times, especially whenever he was around Ty. How his brother hadn't realized that his best friend was in love with him years ago was something that Deuce would never understand. He may not have seen the Marine that was sitting at the table with him very often over the years, but even he could see the look of love on his face whenever he looked at his brother. Deuce knew all too well what Nick felt for Ty, and he just hoped that the flirting wasn't Nick using him as a replacement for his brother. And there was that little voice again; the one telling him that just being here was a mistake. The restaurant was much too romantic for two friends just sharing dinner, but the other part of him was actually enjoying the closeness of the table. The fact that their knees had been bumping together under the table since they sat down had been doing things to him that he just couldn't explain. And, not for the first time, he found himself cursing his height and his long legs

Deuce was pulled from his thoughts by the appearance of their waitress, shaking his head slightly as Nick started to flirt with the young woman again. "Behave yourself, O'Flaherty," he warned with a grin as he looked over at the waitress. "You'll have to excuse him; his mother dropped him on his head as a baby. Multiple times."

"Hey, now that's not nice!" Deuce felt the sharp kick connect with his calf, unable to resist laughing as Nick glared at him from across the table.

Rebecca shook her head slightly, her professional smile staying in place as she put a gentle hand on Deuce's shoulder, the smile growing a bit as she felt the sexual tension between the two of them, knowing that seeing her flirt with his friend would quite possibly give the two of them the push they needed to get together. She'd seen it happen a few times, and when the couples came back to the restaurant finally together and happy, it made her job so much more worthwhile.

"What can I get for you, honey?" she asked as she squeezed the brunets shoulder, noticing that his attention was still on the other man at the table.

"I think I'm going to start off with the Original Pier 34 Salad and the Cajun Style Yellow fin Tuna" Deuce closed the menu, handing it back to their waitress with a smile, his eyes traveling over to Nick as he reached down to rub where he had been kicked.

"And for you...?" Rebecca gave the other man a little grin as she moved her hand off of his companions shoulder and took his menu from him.

"The Raw Bar Platter and the Roasted Seafood combination," Nick gave the waitress one of his biggest smiles as he handed her the menu. "Thank you."

Nick was completely hopeless when it came to his constant flirting and as much has he hated to admit it, that particular trait was starting to grow on Deuce. He took a sip of his water before smiling over at the waitress. "And a glass of your best beer for both of us, please."

He looked across the top of his glass at Nick, watching him watch her walk away.  "I don't think she's interested in your Irish charm, sorry." He was discovering that teasing Nick in person was just as much fun as teasing him over the internet, and this way he got to see the facial expressions up close and personal.

"Oh, I know she wants me. Every woman in this restaurant does, and probably some of the men as well." Of course Nick only had eyes for one person in the restaurant and it wasn't any of the waitresses or the female clientele. It was the man that was currently sitting across the table from him that had been occupying his thoughts since the moment he’d gotten home from work and found D on his couch. If he was being honest with himself though, it had really started several weeks before that. When things were purely over the internet, it was easier to ignore the feelings that were pooling in his groin and in his brain, but seeing the object of more than a few of his recent fantasies sitting across the table from him made it hard as hell not to reach out and touch Deuce with something besides his leg.

"And there's that modesty I know so well." Deuce laughed as he leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through this hair. "You know, you're not the only one that's embarrassed about where they live sometimes."

Nick looked a little confused, smiling his thanks as the server set their beers down in front of them. "What do you mean?"

"You've seen where I grew up. Modest, comfortable, no frills. And you've seen where I live now. A multi-million dollar penthouse. My friends from when I was a kid wouldn't know how to react in that place. It's why I go to them whenever we do something together. Hell, even my own mother refused to touch anything when I first moved in and dad won't even visit because he hates the place on principle. Even Ty gives me hell about it, but I wouldn't expect anything else from him. But, despite what it cost me, I made it comfortable; its home. Someday I'd like to trade it for a house with a huge yard, but not for a while. Not for just me."

"It's not just your place though, yeah? It's your office, you see patients there, so you need someplace nice." It was nice to know that Nick wasn't the only one that got ragged on thanks to his choice of living quarters.

"Yeah... but it would have been just as easy to rent an office space and get a more modest place. But, if I'm being honest..." a cocky grin crossed Deuce's face as he looked over at Nick. "I fell in love with that place the moment I saw it. The view is fucking amazing. Hell, it could have been a crappy place and with that view I would have paid whatever they wanted me to pay."

Nick was unable to stop himself from laughing as their appetizers were delivered, “That’s how I felt about the boat. When I found out it was for sale, I went to look at it on a whim and the next thing I knew, I was signing the papers that made it mine."

They fell into a comfortable silence as they started to eat their meals, Deuce unable to stop himself from gazing out the window at the view of the harbor. He always thought that the view from the water in Philly was beautiful, but this was putting it to shame.

"I still can't believe you're eating that..." he finished his salad and sat back, sipping his beer as he watched Nick finish up what was on his plate.

"Come on, try a bite. I promise it's amazing." Nick held out his last oyster, motioning for the other man to take it.

"I'll try it when I'm dead. Eat the damn thing so I don't have to look at it anymore," he grumbled good-naturedly as the waitress took away their empty plates as Nick shrugged and finished off the last oyster.

"Suit yourself, but you know what they say about oyster’s right?" Nick wiggled his eyebrows.

"You're completely insane," Deuce muttered softly, winking slightly at Nick to let him know that he was teasing, making a soft noise of pleasure as his meal was set before him. "God, this smells amazing!"

The conversation lapsed into silence once again, both men more focused on their meals than idle chit-chat, the occasional sounds of happiness at good food was the only thing breaking the silence. Only when their plates were mostly clear did the conversation begin to pick back up again.

"Can I interest you gentlemen in dessert?" Rebecca had appeared at the table once again, handing them both a smaller menu as their plates were cleared away.

Deuce glanced over the desserts, his eyes being drawn back over and over again to an old weakness of his: the pecan pie. As easy as it would be to indulge, he shook his head and laid the menu on the table with a laugh. "Nothing for me, thanks. I've been slacking on the gym lately, so I don't get dessert."

“Fuck that – oops, sorry,” Nick smiled sheepishly at Rebecca.

“I’ve heard worse,” she smirked and gave them both a nod. “I’ll come back.”

Nick nodded back, “Thanks.” He returned his gaze back to Deuce and lowered his voice a bit, “Fuck that D, one little dessert isn’t gonna kill you. Besides, you look fantastic.”

“Oh Nick, always so good for my ego,” Deuce grinned, “But really. I’m good.”

“Ok.” Nick shrugged, “But what looked good to you? Just out of curiosity.”

Deuce pursed his lips, “Pecan pie has always been a favorite of mine.”

“Mmm, me too.” Nick agreed. He had an insatiable sweet tooth, and truthfully he’d been torn between ordering the pie or the strawberry cheesecake. Deuce had just helped him make up his mind. He looked around and caught Rebecca’s eye and motioned her over.

“Did you decide?” She smiled, directing the question at Nick.

“Yeah, I’ll have the strawberry cheesecake, and my very fit friend here is going to have the pecan pie.” He gave Deuce a smile and blinked at him innocently.

“Fine,” Deuce sighed, handing the dessert menu back to Rebecca, “He wins. Bring on the pie.”

“I had a feeling he was going to.” Rebecca smiled, “He seems ornery like that.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” D raised his eyebrows and sighed again as he gave Nick a playful look.

Rebecca giggled, “Your desserts will be out in a few minutes.”

“Thanks darlin’,” Nick gave her a wink and turned back to Deuce. “Besides I plan on eating some of yours.”

“Do you?” Deuce snorted, “Well maybe I don’t want to share.”

Nick leaned back in his chair, hooking an elbow over the back, “Oh I think I may be able to persuade you to give me some.”

Aaand here we go again, Nick thought, back to the sexual innuendoes.  Was Deuce picking up on it? Probably. But with all of the flirting that Nick had done over the past month, Deuce probably just chalked it up to Nick being Nick. Good thing. If he knew what Nick was really thinking, that he meant every word and would like nothing more than to take Deuce home and to his bed, he’d probably grab his things from the boat and book a room at the nearest Hilton. Just as well. Ty would fucking have Nick’s head on a platter if he sensed what was going on in his best friend’s mind regarding his kid brother, and Ty was just too damn important for Nick to lose. It wasn’t just that he had been in love with Ty; the guy was also his closest friend. They’d been through some shit together man, some major shit, and they had a solid bond because of it. Deep down he always knew nothing would ever come of his romantic feelings towards his best friend, and recently that fact didn’t seem to sting as much. Maybe it was because Nick had become friends with Zane, or maybe because he could see how happy the man made Ty, how good they seemed to fit; regardless, Nick needed to get a grip on his attraction to Deuce. Besides, it was all irrelevant anyway, Deuce was straight. He had a girlfriend. Off Limits. Yeah. But damn Nick never did have any self control. He wanted something; he went for it, end of. He usually got what he set his mind to as well. Good thing Deuce wasn’t at all interested.

After dessert, which Deuce did end up allowing Nick to have a few bites of and Nick convinced D to try some of his cheesecake as well, Nick suggested they go for a couple of drinks. Deuce was up for it so Nick drove them to a bar they’d passed on the way to the restaurant. No way was he taking D to McFadden’s. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his buddies, or he thought Deuce wouldn’t like it there; it was more that he just kind of wanted to keep Deuce all to himself.  If they’d gone to Nick’s usual hang out, they’d be bombarded with companions and they would all expect Nick to be his usual self. Telling stories of what happened at work, drinking, being the center of things, and that just didn’t appeal to Nick right now. Hadn’t for awhile actually. Being with Deuce he felt more relaxed and like himself than he had in…well, quite a while really, and he wasn’t willing to give that up just yet.

Deuce smiled as he turned on his bar stool, his back leaning against the bar as he watched Nick talk animatedly with another man a few feet away. From the way the younger man carried himself as he laughed and spoke with Nick, it was obvious that it was a case of two Marines meeting and enjoying themselves. When he had left Nick alone at the bar to go use the restroom, he had been alone, but when he returned, Nick was already deep in conversation with the young blond man and Deuce hadn't wanted to interrupt them, so he simply squeezed Nick's shoulder to let him know that he was back before going to the bar and taking a seat, content to just watch the other man.

"Pain in the ass, aren't they?" a voice asked as a man sat down beside him, a grin on his face. He must have noticed the look of confusion on Deuce's face, because he nodded toward Nick and the other man as he clarified. "Marines. No matter where they are, they always manage to find one another, even if it's date night..."

"Oh, trust me, I know all about Marine pain in the asses!" Deuce laughed as he smiled over at the other man. "It's always scary how they seem to become best friends after five minutes together." He shook his head in amusement as he held his hand out to the other man. "I'm Deuce, and that over there is Nick."

"Jason. And the cute blond is Dean. Drives me crazy sometimes but..." he broke off with a slight grin. "So, how long have you two been together?"

Deuce nearly choked on his drink at the question, swallowing the mouthful of beer before managing to speak. "Oh, we're not together, not like that! I'm just crashing at his place. He and my brother served together and are close. But you two are together...?" He was blushing, he could feel it, and he was just hoping that the bar was dark enough to hide it.

Jason just raised an amused eyebrow at the denial. Like hell there was nothing between the two of them, even the distance that was separating them couldn't hide the sexual tension or the fact that they couldn't stop looking at one another. "Six years now, officially. Been in love with him for ten. After he was medically discharged, he finally decided to say screw what everyone else thought and gave in to what we wanted. It's been fucking amazing."

Deuce nodded in understanding. "You can tell he loves you from the way he's looking over here at you. I wish you guys the best with everything..." he smiled as he watched the two Marines finally make their way across the bar to where Deuce and Jason were sitting.

"We've been talking about you..." Jason teased with a grin as he pulled Dean into his arms, watching in amusement as Nick bumped his shoulder against Deuce's as the younger man lifted his head up to speak softly into the other Marines ear.

Deuce smiled over at Nick when he walked over, leaning in close so that he could be heard in the crowded bar "You about ready to go...? Sorry to be such a pain, but it's been a long ass day and I'm exhausted."

“No, absolutely,” Nick downed the last swallow of his beer and set the empty bottle on the counter to settle the tab. Deuce protested of course, but Nick insisted and got his way.

They both shook Jason and Dean’s hands as they left and headed back to the boat. It was always nice to run into a fellow marine, but the chats were bitter sweet for Nick.  He’d planned on retiring a marine or dying a marine so the discharge was still a sore spot, even a decade later. 

“I think I’m going to head down.” Deuce said as they entered the salon. “I’ve got another long day ahead of me tomorrow.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Nick smiled, his hands in the pockets of his slacks, “I’m just gonna watch TV a bit. Too early for me.”

“You really need to sleep more Nick,” Deuce chided.

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Nick ran his hand through his hair and reflected again how he really needed a cut. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Deuce shook his head with a sigh, “I could prescribe you something you know. Something mild like I do for Ty?”

“I’m good. Really. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

“Yeah, ok. I’m not going to nag you.” Deuce headed towards the staircase and Nick watched him for a second before turning towards the sofa intending to sit down. He really should go change out of his good cloths but he just didn’t have the energy. Something about following Deuce down the stairs but not being able to follow him into his cabin felt too disappointing to face tonight.

“Good night D.”

“’’Night.” Deuce stopped and turned around, “Oh,Nick.”

Nick turned to look at him before sitting. “Yeah.”

“Thanks for dinner and everything.” D smiled, “I had… a really nice time.”

“Yeah, me too.” Nick smiled back, “And you’re welcome. I’ll come to Philly sometime and you can get me back for the bet then.”

“Yeah ok,” Deuce turned around and started to make his way down the steps, “It’s a date.”

“Well I don’t put out easily.” Nick called down to him, “So you’ll need to wine and dine me.”

He heard D’s laugh carry up to him, “Somehow I think a bag of Cheetos and a beer would do the trick.”

“I’m offended!” Nick yelled.

“No you’re not!” Deuce yelled back as he made his way downstairs and into the spare room. He closed the door behind him, not even bothering to lock it, knowing that despite all of the teasing that Nick would never walk in on him in the middle of the night. He might have been a flirt, but Deuce trusted him. Today had been interesting to say the least. He had thought that he’d just see Nick in passing with them both having busy schedules planned for the weekend. But dinner tonight? Oh that had almost been a complete disaster. So many times he’d almost said something that he knew he would regret in the future, but there were still so many things that he wanted to say to him.

“Get your shit together, Deacon,” he muttered to himself as he pulled off his clothes, tossing them in the corner as he rubbed his thigh. “Nick is just being nice. You’ve worked shit out with Livi, get your mind off of him.” 

Shit. Livi. Between the conference and dinner with Nick, he had forgotten to call her. Oh yeah, he was going to be screwed when he got back to Philly in a few days.  He glanced at the clock, thinking it over for a moment as he collapsed back on the bed wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs as he dialed her number, a slight smile crossing his face when she answered.

“Mm hey,” he closed his eyes as he laid his head on the pillow, laughing softly when she started complaining about how long it had taken him to call her. “Honey, how many times have you had this same argument with me? I called you when I get off the plane, didn’t I?”

He allowed his mind to wander as he listened to Livi talk about her day, making a few noises here and there to let her think he was listening as his thoughts turned to the man that was upstairs. Even when he had his girlfriend on the phone he found himself thinking about him more and more, and Deuce just couldn’t figure it out. Even if he admitted to himself that he was at least a little bi-curious, Nick was more than a little off limits. He was Ty’s best friend and Ty would murder both of them for even thinking about each other in that way.

He was pulled away from his thoughts by the sound of Livi saying his name loudly. Shit, he had completely zoned out. “Hmm? Sorry, dozed off. I think I’m going to get some sleep.”

The room was quiet for a few moments as Deuce listened to Livi, nodding his head slightly. “Miss you too. I’ll be home on Monday, I have an early flight.” He went quiet again, nodding slightly as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. “Mm yeah, you too. G’night.” He tossed his phone onto the bed as he got to his feet, wincing a bit as he crossed the room to the bathroom, leaning against the sink as he gazed at himself in the mirror. He had had Livi on the phone and yet his thoughts were on Nick for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past few weeks.  He just had to get through the next couple of days and then it was back to Philly and hopefully back to sanity.

The brunet swallowed a couple of pills as he met his own gaze in the mirror, smirking slightly. Maybe sanity was over-rated.

Nick shook his head and chuckled as he lay down on the couch, flipping on the TV. Fucking Deuce. The smile stayed on his lips as he thought of the man he’d just spent the evening with. Deuce was…something else. He was smoking hot, no doubt about that, but there was so much more to him then just his good looks. He was also smart and funny and easy to be with. Nick was usually comfortable around people anyway, but there was something extra relaxing about Deuce. Nick didn’t feel like he had to put on a show all of the time to keep D occupied. Like over dinner for instance, they talked a bit while they ate, mostly just commenting on how good everything was, but for a lot of that time they just enjoyed the meal in silence. And it was a very comfortable silence, something Nick rarely experienced, and he found he liked it. He liked not feeling obligated to make a joke or tell a story and he liked that Deuce didn’t appear to feel the need to entertain Nick either. Nick could just…be at ease with Deuce, and Deuce seemed to feel the same way. Funny how Nick had never really noticed that before, of course then Ty had always been around taking most of Nick’s focus, but still.

Nick watched the anchor man talking but didn’t really hear the local news, his mind just couldn’t seem to stray from Deuce. His smile, white teeth flashing between full lips; the sound of his laugh, it was contagious really, and pretty damn cute; those hazel eyes that were intense, yet kind at the same time and totally mesmerized Nick; his grace, even for a man of his height, and despite his injury. Deuce carried himself with such effortless poise, yet he was down to earth and easy going. Nick loved that Deuce never seemed to get offended by anything he said, weather over the phone, on the computer or in person, and would just laugh it off and give it right back.

Deuce was an extraordinary man, no doubt. God Nick wanted to kiss that full mouth. He wanted to fuck him so bad he’s gotten a chubby several times throughout the night. That wasn’t anything earth shattering in Nick’s world, he was pretty horny on a regular, but the odd thing was he kind of wanted to hold Deuce afterwards. He wanted to lie in each other’s arms and share shit that was easier to say in the dark of night. He wanted to sleep together and wake up together and do it all over again the next day. Yeah that was fucking different. Way different, and it freaked Nick out a little bit. Well, a lot a bit actually, yet at the same time it felt sort of right. What the fuck. No. Ty’s brother. Straight. Girlfriend. Off limits.

But Nick took a few moments to fantasize that Deuce was none of those things. That he was available and Nick could actually see where this could lead. He rubbed his dick through his pants, his dick acknowledging that he liked that idea as well. Yeah, that Deacon Grady was something else.