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From the highly acclaimed
Blind Man's Bluffby
ladyredms

Pushing the half-closed bathroom door open, Nick flicked on the light with a knuckle. He sighed through his nostrils, smoke flowing with the motion, and pried his cigarette from between his lips.
Flicking the dying thing into the toilet by his knee, Nick bent over the sink to turn on the tap with one hand while the other grabbed a hanging hand towel. Blood was dried into the porcelain, making Nick crinkle his nose slightly in uncertainty. Considering there was no signs of disturbance anywhere else in the house, it was strange.
"Think someone cut themselves shavin' or somethin'?" Ellis inquired from behind him, gently trotting into the bathroom as he shoved his pack of candy into his pocket. There wasn't a whole lot of room, so when he took a stance behind Nick, it was close to his elbow.
"Maybe if they were a hemophiliac." Nick retorted sardonically, rolling his sleeve up slightly so it didn't get wet when he cupped his hand under the pouring water. He adjusted the temperature just a little so it wasn't too cold, then soaked a handful of the towel he'd found.
"That's just silly, Nick. Whut're the chances'uh that?" the kid blinked dubiously, raising a hand to scratch at his forehead in uncertainty. Funny how he bent his hand a bit as if he had to avoid bumping a cap - Nick could see his curious eyes examining him through the bathroom mirror.
Nick didn't bother to laugh, too busy being impressed at Ellis' knowing the word to make fun of him for not getting the sarcasm. You're pretty smart, El, but holy shit, are you dumb... He felt a smirk tip up the side of his mouth. "I dunno, maybe someone died in here. You believe in ghosts?"
Ellis grinned lightly, shifting his weight a little. Their gazes met on the mirror, neither seeming to really notice the other was staring through the glass. "Didn't used tuh believe in zombies." he taunted, promptly chuckling.
The gambler rolled his eyes with a subtle grin, breaking the gaze as he straightened. He flicked off the tap and patted the bathroom counter. "Get up here, dumbshit. Let Dr. Nick fix ya up." Turning his head to watch as Ellis circled around him, Nick chuckled faintly.
He was blushing. Again.
"Shouldn't scar up, Ace." he added, closing the bathroom door quietly with his heel. He noticed Ellis sneak a glance over at the door as it shut, but he didn't actually comment on it. "Be a shame to mark up that pretty face of yours."
"'E-ey! Pretty nothin'..." Ellis protested slightly, hopping up with a little squirm to sit on the edge of the bathroom counter. He set his hands behind himself, fingertips tapping out a quiet tune on the glazed white tile. "Besides. I ain't gonna go through the dang apocalypse and not come out with some cool scars."
Nick snorted lightly, stepping over. He let his hips push between Ellis' knees, settling between his thighs with a dark smirk and a lowered chin. Ellis immediately slumped back a little, turning an interesting shade of red and squirming his knees just the tiniest bit. "Shouldn't be surprised you'd think that way. I'm not looking forward to my leg scarring up."
"Oh, uh… Didn't mean tuh -" He spoke like he'd affronted the older man, so Nick gave him a vague grimace that dissuaded him from apologizing. Instead, Ellis tried to bury his chin against his chest and hunch down from Nick's face. "… It'll be okay, though, man. I mean, gettin' splashed with acid is pretty badass."
"Is that what I felt? I thought it was searing pain." The conman leaned forward, feeling Ellis' knees rub against his hips as he did. Any other time, he might've taken advantage of the moment - but he focused, taking his weight off his bad leg and curling it a bit while he pulled the wet-edged handtowel up to clean up Ellis' bloody cheek. "Honestly, I'm shocked you aren't more scarred up. Having a friend like Keith."
It'd mostly clotted, but as he stroked the washcloth closer to the bruised cut itself, it threatened to bleed again. Nick let his other hand cradle Ellis' other cheek, lifting his head up to force the other man to stop hiding and to hold him still.
Ellis shut his eyes, but his lips curled up in a smile, chuckling even as a soft 'ow' whinged into his voice. "Well… yeah, I mean, Keith's got some cool ones. But he don't let me get hurt or nothin'. Actually, this one time - it's a short story, I swear -"
"You have those?" Nick teased, dabbing the towel right over the wound and soothing Ellis with a stroke of his free thumb as the kid pulled in a sharp breath. Even when the pain seemed to fade from Ellis' face, he found his thumb still moving faintly.
"Haaw." the younger man retorted quietly, brows lifting slightly before he just continued. "One'uv Keith's first real crazy stunts, he had me helpin' him build this bomb. We was gonna chuck it intuh a lake tuh see whut an explosion underwater'd be like, y'know? ...Well, turns out he did somethin' wrong, 'cause we ain't so much gotten the dang thing put tuhgether when it goes off. Got a chunk'uh metal right to my shoulder," He reached up to poke a fingertip into the swell of his shoulder, just below his clavicle. "damn near in muh neck."
Nick uttered an unpleasant grunt, unable to help it as he cleaned a bit of stubborn dirt on Ellis' cheek while trying not to hurt him.
Ellis tried to nod, not thinking, and Nick had to grab him and shoot him a chiding look. After a quick blink of apology, he spoke, looking a little embarrassed. "Yep. After that, Keith was always real careful tuh get me outta the way if things went sour. Ain't - y'know, now that I think about it, ain't really got hurt since then."
"So that's why you're not a cripple. I wondered." The gambler set the towel down and focused on drawing the butterfly bandage carefully out of its paper wrapping.
Ellis relaxed slightly as Nick pulled his hands away, reaching up one of his own to touch at his cheek gently. "Aww, nah. He never lets nothin' happen tuh me 'cause of his stunts. Kinda gets me heated sometimes 'cause he's always keepin' me outta the cool parts. 'Cause they're the explodin' parts, y'know.. hah!"
Noticing the other man was feeling at his cheek, Nick quickly swatted his arm away with his elbow, snorting a little. "Doctor says no touch-y... - I'd say something about adrenaline junkies being stupid, but I've got my fair share of addictions. Probably hypocritical of me."
Ellis guessed at his meaning curiously, holding still for only a few moments before he tried to lift up his hand again to feel at the injury curiously. He was like a dog scratching at a wound. Too bad Nick didn't have a cone. "Gamblin'?"
Nick chuckled at that, darkly, suddenly snatching up a hand to grab Ellis' wrist. The mechanic stilled instantly, but Nick wasn't done - he slowly let his grip loosen, fingers turning intimate as they loosely stroked at Ellis' wrist. His gaze slitted faintly, face rather close to Ellis'.
He pulled the Georgian's arm down, letting his fingers lose a few inches every time they moved so his palm caressed down the length of the other man's forearm. Ellis was rapidly reddening, lips stuck parted in uncertainty.
"... That's one of them." Nick responded vaguely in a low purr, releasing Ellis' arm now that it was limp on the younger man's thigh. If anything, that certainly stopped his attempts to mess with the injury.
"Y-y- uh - h-ha - that.. uh -"
The poor kid was fumbling so hard, obviously completely caught off-guard by the response, that Nick couldn't bring himself to let Ellis keep going. He'd intended to leave it at that, already pushing it way too far, but he couldn't just let the Georgian hang.
...he's so fuckin' helpless, I swear...
Leaning in, Nick shut Ellis up with a kiss. It wasn't teasing, no play about it - he stole that silky mouth forcefully and held it to be sure Ellis wouldn't try to finish whatever sentence it was he was trying to form.
Ellis tasted sweet - like candy. The gummy worms, of course, but it seemed almost right for those lips to taste of sugar and cherry. It was an innocent taste, not over-processed lipgloss or lipstick like Nick was so used to. He probably tasted like cigarettes.
He regretted that.
Their breaths mixed, soft and slow, lips warm against each other. What had been intended to last for a second or two turned into several before Nick even realized. The kid's hands started to lift up, but Nick saw it in the shift of Ellis' shoulders and let his own hands move to push them back down.
Sighing reluctantly, he pulled back there, licking his lips slowly and glancing away.
He felt… awkward. And that was new. He felt like he'd suddenly stepped into unfamiliar territory, onto unfamiliar ground. That wasn't the kind of kiss he was used to.
Ellis mimicked him, but kept his lips pursed quietly as he shifted his weight a little, exhaling carefully. That brushed his thighs against Nick again, but it was just a pleasant buzz of contact. "... that was nice." he breathed gently, brazenly honest, his blush having faded to a light tint over the bridge of his nose.
Nick didn't say anything at all, raising his hands up to return to his task. Turning Ellis' chin up with a thumb after peeling away the tape on either edge of the butterfly, Nick firmly applied the bandage to close up the wound.
It sealed nicely, the white material sticking skin-tight to Ellis' cheek. It'd stay.
"How's that, Ace?" he questioned, lowering his hands and glancing the hick's face over before meeting his gaze. Ringed fingers toyed with Ellis' overalls absently, watching the kid twist around at the waist and look at his own face in the mirror, squinting slightly.
He smiled brightly, popping his lips a bit in appreciation. "Real good. Thanks, Doc'. I bet'cha it'll be right as rain before you know it."
Nick snorted, then chuckled helplessly as Ellis' thank-you really sunk in, patting his hands together as he backed away a step. "I should goddamn think so, with all the hard work I put into that shit." he retorted, smirking sideways.
Ellis laughed, turning back forward to gently push himself off the counter. "I appreciate it, Nick. S'real nice'uv you... I mean, even lookin' past the kiss.." His boots met the tile with a soft thump, grinning abashedly.
"Ha. Looking past it? I'm hurt." Ellis perked to correct him, looking instantly surprised, but Nick gave him a sardonic 'I'm kidding' look and shook his head. "C'mon, El. We should get back downstairs, spent enough time up here. Trying to get me in trouble."
The Georgian chuckled, reaching into his pocket to pull out his bag of candy again and pick one out. He was burning through them fast. Nick expected him to get sick, at the rate he was going. "Sorry, Nick... but yer the one who done started it."
Nick crossed his arms immediately, lifting a brow at the accusation in cool, deadpan determination. After a small roll of his lips, he returned, "You're the one with those lips." He wasn't about to be blamed for the situation.
Intrigued by the unvoiced challenge, Ellis bit a gummy in half and chewed gently at it. He hrmpfed, flushing slightly as he noticed Nick's eyes flick down to watch him chew. "..Yer the one who can't quit lookin' at 'em."
Lifting his brows, Nick felt a little thrill dart up his spine. Ellis' sweet naiveté had fast grown on him in a way he'd never have thought possible, but the Southerner had flashes of lively stubbornness and a quick intelligence that was… fascinating. "Do I, now?"
Grinning widely before the motion stung his injured cheek and he had to quickly stop, Ellis rolled up onto his toes and bobbed his head in a cocky fashion.
The conman advanced a step toward him. Ellis was quickly getting in way over his head, and though Nick knew Ellis wasn't really meaning to, he couldn't fight it. The impulse to chase was too strong. Those goddamn eyes...

Blind Man's Bluff - Chapter 51 (excerpt)

Read more of Blind Man's Bluff here ---> archiveofourown.org/works/1154…

Description

From the highly acclaimed
Blind Man's Bluffby
ladyredms

Pushing the half-closed bathroom door open, Nick flicked on the light with a knuckle. He sighed through his nostrils, smoke flowing with the motion, and pried his cigarette from between his lips.
Flicking the dying thing into the toilet by his knee, Nick bent over the sink to turn on the tap with one hand while the other grabbed a hanging hand towel. Blood was dried into the porcelain, making Nick crinkle his nose slightly in uncertainty. Considering there was no signs of disturbance anywhere else in the house, it was strange.
"Think someone cut themselves shavin' or somethin'?" Ellis inquired from behind him, gently trotting into the bathroom as he shoved his pack of candy into his pocket. There wasn't a whole lot of room, so when he took a stance behind Nick, it was close to his elbow.
"Maybe if they were a hemophiliac." Nick retorted sardonically, rolling his sleeve up slightly so it didn't get wet when he cupped his hand under the pouring water. He adjusted the temperature just a little so it wasn't too cold, then soaked a handful of the towel he'd found.
"That's just silly, Nick. Whut're the chances'uh that?" the kid blinked dubiously, raising a hand to scratch at his forehead in uncertainty. Funny how he bent his hand a bit as if he had to avoid bumping a cap - Nick could see his curious eyes examining him through the bathroom mirror.
Nick didn't bother to laugh, too busy being impressed at Ellis' knowing the word to make fun of him for not getting the sarcasm. You're pretty smart, El, but holy shit, are you dumb... He felt a smirk tip up the side of his mouth. "I dunno, maybe someone died in here. You believe in ghosts?"
Ellis grinned lightly, shifting his weight a little. Their gazes met on the mirror, neither seeming to really notice the other was staring through the glass. "Didn't used tuh believe in zombies." he taunted, promptly chuckling.
The gambler rolled his eyes with a subtle grin, breaking the gaze as he straightened. He flicked off the tap and patted the bathroom counter. "Get up here, dumbshit. Let Dr. Nick fix ya up." Turning his head to watch as Ellis circled around him, Nick chuckled faintly.
He was blushing. Again.
"Shouldn't scar up, Ace." he added, closing the bathroom door quietly with his heel. He noticed Ellis sneak a glance over at the door as it shut, but he didn't actually comment on it. "Be a shame to mark up that pretty face of yours."
"'E-ey! Pretty nothin'..." Ellis protested slightly, hopping up with a little squirm to sit on the edge of the bathroom counter. He set his hands behind himself, fingertips tapping out a quiet tune on the glazed white tile. "Besides. I ain't gonna go through the dang apocalypse and not come out with some cool scars."
Nick snorted lightly, stepping over. He let his hips push between Ellis' knees, settling between his thighs with a dark smirk and a lowered chin. Ellis immediately slumped back a little, turning an interesting shade of red and squirming his knees just the tiniest bit. "Shouldn't be surprised you'd think that way. I'm not looking forward to my leg scarring up."
"Oh, uh… Didn't mean tuh -" He spoke like he'd affronted the older man, so Nick gave him a vague grimace that dissuaded him from apologizing. Instead, Ellis tried to bury his chin against his chest and hunch down from Nick's face. "… It'll be okay, though, man. I mean, gettin' splashed with acid is pretty badass."
"Is that what I felt? I thought it was searing pain." The conman leaned forward, feeling Ellis' knees rub against his hips as he did. Any other time, he might've taken advantage of the moment - but he focused, taking his weight off his bad leg and curling it a bit while he pulled the wet-edged handtowel up to clean up Ellis' bloody cheek. "Honestly, I'm shocked you aren't more scarred up. Having a friend like Keith."
It'd mostly clotted, but as he stroked the washcloth closer to the bruised cut itself, it threatened to bleed again. Nick let his other hand cradle Ellis' other cheek, lifting his head up to force the other man to stop hiding and to hold him still.
Ellis shut his eyes, but his lips curled up in a smile, chuckling even as a soft 'ow' whinged into his voice. "Well… yeah, I mean, Keith's got some cool ones. But he don't let me get hurt or nothin'. Actually, this one time - it's a short story, I swear -"
"You have those?" Nick teased, dabbing the towel right over the wound and soothing Ellis with a stroke of his free thumb as the kid pulled in a sharp breath. Even when the pain seemed to fade from Ellis' face, he found his thumb still moving faintly.
"Haaw." the younger man retorted quietly, brows lifting slightly before he just continued. "One'uv Keith's first real crazy stunts, he had me helpin' him build this bomb. We was gonna chuck it intuh a lake tuh see whut an explosion underwater'd be like, y'know? ...Well, turns out he did somethin' wrong, 'cause we ain't so much gotten the dang thing put tuhgether when it goes off. Got a chunk'uh metal right to my shoulder," He reached up to poke a fingertip into the swell of his shoulder, just below his clavicle. "damn near in muh neck."
Nick uttered an unpleasant grunt, unable to help it as he cleaned a bit of stubborn dirt on Ellis' cheek while trying not to hurt him.
Ellis tried to nod, not thinking, and Nick had to grab him and shoot him a chiding look. After a quick blink of apology, he spoke, looking a little embarrassed. "Yep. After that, Keith was always real careful tuh get me outta the way if things went sour. Ain't - y'know, now that I think about it, ain't really got hurt since then."
"So that's why you're not a cripple. I wondered." The gambler set the towel down and focused on drawing the butterfly bandage carefully out of its paper wrapping.
Ellis relaxed slightly as Nick pulled his hands away, reaching up one of his own to touch at his cheek gently. "Aww, nah. He never lets nothin' happen tuh me 'cause of his stunts. Kinda gets me heated sometimes 'cause he's always keepin' me outta the cool parts. 'Cause they're the explodin' parts, y'know.. hah!"
Noticing the other man was feeling at his cheek, Nick quickly swatted his arm away with his elbow, snorting a little. "Doctor says no touch-y... - I'd say something about adrenaline junkies being stupid, but I've got my fair share of addictions. Probably hypocritical of me."
Ellis guessed at his meaning curiously, holding still for only a few moments before he tried to lift up his hand again to feel at the injury curiously. He was like a dog scratching at a wound. Too bad Nick didn't have a cone. "Gamblin'?"
Nick chuckled at that, darkly, suddenly snatching up a hand to grab Ellis' wrist. The mechanic stilled instantly, but Nick wasn't done - he slowly let his grip loosen, fingers turning intimate as they loosely stroked at Ellis' wrist. His gaze slitted faintly, face rather close to Ellis'.
He pulled the Georgian's arm down, letting his fingers lose a few inches every time they moved so his palm caressed down the length of the other man's forearm. Ellis was rapidly reddening, lips stuck parted in uncertainty.
"... That's one of them." Nick responded vaguely in a low purr, releasing Ellis' arm now that it was limp on the younger man's thigh. If anything, that certainly stopped his attempts to mess with the injury.
"Y-y- uh - h-ha - that.. uh -"
The poor kid was fumbling so hard, obviously completely caught off-guard by the response, that Nick couldn't bring himself to let Ellis keep going. He'd intended to leave it at that, already pushing it way too far, but he couldn't just let the Georgian hang.
...he's so fuckin' helpless, I swear...
Leaning in, Nick shut Ellis up with a kiss. It wasn't teasing, no play about it - he stole that silky mouth forcefully and held it to be sure Ellis wouldn't try to finish whatever sentence it was he was trying to form.
Ellis tasted sweet - like candy. The gummy worms, of course, but it seemed almost right for those lips to taste of sugar and cherry. It was an innocent taste, not over-processed lipgloss or lipstick like Nick was so used to. He probably tasted like cigarettes.
He regretted that.
Their breaths mixed, soft and slow, lips warm against each other. What had been intended to last for a second or two turned into several before Nick even realized. The kid's hands started to lift up, but Nick saw it in the shift of Ellis' shoulders and let his own hands move to push them back down.
Sighing reluctantly, he pulled back there, licking his lips slowly and glancing away.
He felt… awkward. And that was new. He felt like he'd suddenly stepped into unfamiliar territory, onto unfamiliar ground. That wasn't the kind of kiss he was used to.
Ellis mimicked him, but kept his lips pursed quietly as he shifted his weight a little, exhaling carefully. That brushed his thighs against Nick again, but it was just a pleasant buzz of contact. "... that was nice." he breathed gently, brazenly honest, his blush having faded to a light tint over the bridge of his nose.
Nick didn't say anything at all, raising his hands up to return to his task. Turning Ellis' chin up with a thumb after peeling away the tape on either edge of the butterfly, Nick firmly applied the bandage to close up the wound.
It sealed nicely, the white material sticking skin-tight to Ellis' cheek. It'd stay.
"How's that, Ace?" he questioned, lowering his hands and glancing the hick's face over before meeting his gaze. Ringed fingers toyed with Ellis' overalls absently, watching the kid twist around at the waist and look at his own face in the mirror, squinting slightly.
He smiled brightly, popping his lips a bit in appreciation. "Real good. Thanks, Doc'. I bet'cha it'll be right as rain before you know it."
Nick snorted, then chuckled helplessly as Ellis' thank-you really sunk in, patting his hands together as he backed away a step. "I should goddamn think so, with all the hard work I put into that shit." he retorted, smirking sideways.
Ellis laughed, turning back forward to gently push himself off the counter. "I appreciate it, Nick. S'real nice'uv you... I mean, even lookin' past the kiss.." His boots met the tile with a soft thump, grinning abashedly.
"Ha. Looking past it? I'm hurt." Ellis perked to correct him, looking instantly surprised, but Nick gave him a sardonic 'I'm kidding' look and shook his head. "C'mon, El. We should get back downstairs, spent enough time up here. Trying to get me in trouble."
The Georgian chuckled, reaching into his pocket to pull out his bag of candy again and pick one out. He was burning through them fast. Nick expected him to get sick, at the rate he was going. "Sorry, Nick... but yer the one who done started it."
Nick crossed his arms immediately, lifting a brow at the accusation in cool, deadpan determination. After a small roll of his lips, he returned, "You're the one with those lips." He wasn't about to be blamed for the situation.
Intrigued by the unvoiced challenge, Ellis bit a gummy in half and chewed gently at it. He hrmpfed, flushing slightly as he noticed Nick's eyes flick down to watch him chew. "..Yer the one who can't quit lookin' at 'em."
Lifting his brows, Nick felt a little thrill dart up his spine. Ellis' sweet naiveté had fast grown on him in a way he'd never have thought possible, but the Southerner had flashes of lively stubbornness and a quick intelligence that was… fascinating. "Do I, now?"
Grinning widely before the motion stung his injured cheek and he had to quickly stop, Ellis rolled up onto his toes and bobbed his head in a cocky fashion.
The conman advanced a step toward him. Ellis was quickly getting in way over his head, and though Nick knew Ellis wasn't really meaning to, he couldn't fight it. The impulse to chase was too strong. Those goddamn eyes...

Blind Man's Bluff - Chapter 51 (excerpt)

Read more of Blind Man's Bluff here ---> archiveofourown.org/works/1154…