Ellie x Nick Oneshots

A push in the right direction

"Anybody wanna get adrink?" Nick asked cheerfully as the agents made their way into theelevator.

"Another time. I gotta go home to Delilah and thetwins," McGee declined the offer, making Nick turn to Ellie inhopes of her joining him at least.

The blonde simply shruggedher shoulders, agreeing with a "Sure, why not."
It's not likeshe had other plans, and it's been a while since they'd gone out fordrinks.

That's how the two ended up in a their usual bar,sitting beside each other as both of them ordered a drink.
Whilethey waited for their beverages, Nick initiated a conversation,mentioning their case.

"So...uh, that was quite aninteresting case, wasn't it?" The Latino said after clearing histhroat.
He wasn't sure what it was, but something about the storyof Art and Annie that had him captivated, something that made himthink about himself and Ellie.
They weren't in a relationship orlovers or anything of the sort, but Nick had known for a while thathe had developed feelings for his blonde partner.

She wasn'this usual type, wasn't like the women he normally went out with, andthe more he thought about it, he started to realize that maybe thatwas a good thing.
The women he'd been with had never really kepthis interest for long, their flings had never turned into anythingremotely serious.
Well, except for what he had with Elena, heguessed, but even that hadn't lasted more than a few months beforeshe broke up with him.

Nick couldn't even hold it against her,couldn't be angry at her for noticing the way he had looked at Ellie,how comfortable he'd been around her, not feeling like he had tofeign to be any different than he was with her.
So yes, the Latinocould understand why Elena hadn't wanted to be with a man who was inlove with another woman, even if he tried to hide it.
The moreNick thought about it, he figured things never would've workedlong-term with Elena anyways...for exactly that reason.

It'sbeen several years since he felt anything like that for anyone, andif he was entirely truthful with himself, he had to admit that in away those feelings scared him.


Nick was ripped away fromhis stray thoughts when their drinks were placed in front of them andEllie replied to what he'd said, agreeing with him.
"Yeah, itsure was," she said slowly, apparently also deep in thought.
"It'sa shame they didn't end up together... That she died before theycould find their way back to each other," the blonde added, a sadsmile gracing her lips as she remembered their story as well and howinvested they'd both been into figuring out how it played out in theend.

Her mind was going in similar directions as Nick's as shestared into her glass, swirling the liquid around in the glass in acircular motion.
Ellie, too, had started to realize her feelingsfor her co-worker, though it had taken her until he almost died andwas in the hospital to admit it to herself.
She hadn't wanted tofall for a co-worker again, seeing as both previous times endedbadly, she remembered with an all too familiar sting that always camewith the memories.

Looking to her right, she saw Nick give aslight nod at her statement, a thoughtful look on his face as heresponded.
"Yeah it is..."


After that, they sat insilence as they downed a few drinks after another, until Nick wasstarting to border the line of tipsy, a red tinge on his cheeks, butstill not yet drunk.
He promised to himself to not get drunkagain, especially not when Ellie was with him... he wasn't the bestversion of himself when he was drunk, he admitted.
In contrast toher co-worker, Ellie, whose metabolism was so good she never gotdrunk, was still completely in her right mind, the alcohol notaffecting her senses in the least.

The Latino gulped down onelast drink before both decided it was enough for the night.
"Ellie?"he addressed the woman next to him, making her turn toward him with a"hm?" in acknowledgment.

The words that came out of hismouth next, he figured, might be the influence of the alcohol in hissystem, and maybe also the result of him wracking his brain about Artand Annie's story and in turn his feelings for the blonde next tohim.

"I don't wanna end up like them, you know? Like Art andAnnie..." he elucidated, not daring to look at her, insteadchoosing to stare at his hands in front of him.

But he didn'tneed to see her face to know that there was a surprised expression onit, which her tone gave away as well as she asked her next questionwith a slightly guarded voice.
"...What do you mean?"
Herheart beat erratically at what he said, at the insinuation behind hiswords.
Could he really mean what she thought he wasimplying...?
Did he finally find the courage to say it...?

Finally, after a while, heturned to look at her so that her gaze met his, his dark eyes staringdeep into her hazel ones as he spoke, as much honesty in his voice aspossible.
"What I'm trying to say is that I have feelings foryou, Ellie. I have had for so long..." he slowly said as he took inhow her mouth dropped open, eyes widening at his words despite havingsomewhat expected them after his first confession about nor wantingto end up like the couple whose love story they'd learned of over thepast few days.

The blonde was so stunned she couldn't find thevoice to speak, couldn't find any words at that moment.
Turns out,she didn't need to because he continued speaking without a reply fromher, his confession so sincere, she clung to his every word.
Itwas what she had secretly hoped for since she figured out herfeelings for him.

"They ended up letting other people tearthem apart, no matter if it was consciously or unconsciously... Theyshould've fought harder for each other. And then Annie died beforethey could find their way back to each other...
I don't want thatto happen to us, Ellie.
We both have dangerous jobs, we couldpractically die any day and I don't want that to happen to one of usand for the other to live with regrets and what-ifs... Not because Iwas too much of a coward to confess to you or because of Gibbs'rule...
I've never had the courage to say it until now, and I'mnot entirely sure if you feel the same way, but I needed to say this.And I needed to have you hear this. Otherwise I'd regret it for therest of my life."

Ellie felt tears starting to gather in hereyes, threatening to flow down her cheeks at his words,- at theclarity he spoke them with- but before that could happen, Nick's handwas on her cheek, his thumb wiping away the wetness, a desperate andhopeful look on his face.
He was indeed desperate for an answerfrom her, wanted to hear her reciprocate his feelings and stop givinga damn about rule 12.

And Ellie realizedthat he was right.
So she kissed him. Her soft lips landed on his,and it only took a second for him to return her kiss, deepening it bypulling her closer against him, one hand on her waist and the otheron her neck, their eyes closed as both felt the kiss right throughtheir whole body, a tingling feeling spreading through it.

Afterwhat felt like an eternity, they had to pull apart for air, theirgazes still focused on the other's face, both of them smiling.
"Ismy answer clear enough for you?" Ellie teased him a bit, a handstill resting on the back of his neck, her thumb gently stroking hisshort hairs there.

Throwing some money onto the counter to payfor their drinks, Nick pressed his lips against hers once more in aquick but loving kiss, before he got up and held a hand out toher.

"Come on, let's get you home."