Chapter Text
Nick could hear the soft scrape of a key finding its home in his locked front door, it took him a few moments to identify the soft footfall, very distinctively Ellie, no self-respecting thief would make a beeline to the kitchen. His hunch was confirmed when he heard the faint clink of a jug leave the fridge and crockery being dispatched from the cupboard. With a furrowed brow he reached blindly for his phone, his tired eyes protesting against the ungodly hour. With the flash of bright phone screen; a stark contrast to the dark room; it confirmed his suspicions that it was ridiculous AM. He was tempted to close his eyes and get back to sleep, but he wanted to see his partner, they had barely a chance to exchange pleasantries during the week while he was on stakeout with McGee.
Once fully awake, Nick approached the kitchen with trepidation, Ellie would normally spend the weekend at his apartment, but for the past few weeks she had been engaged in ‘training’ with Odette. Although he had seen her in snatches at work, he missed their personal time. His partner was hunched over the kitchen table, one hand supported her bent head, while the other hand shovelled weary spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth. She looked like the epitome of tiredness, threatening to keel over in exhaustion at any moment.
Nick could spy her cut knuckles, in the lowlight he couldn’t make out bruises on her face, but he could see deep-set bags under her eyes, he wondered what energy reserves were stopping her from falling asleep here in the kitchen. He knew the punishing work schedule they both kept, he was perplexed that she would sacrifice their meagre downtime for a punishing training regimen with Ziva's friend.
“Hey, Babe”, Nick softly greeted her, treading a fine-line between not wanting to startle the tired agent but wanting to allay his own fears that she was injured or somehow in trouble. “Ellie?” Nick couldn’t hide the undercurrent of concern in his voice, he couldn’t help but worry at his partner’s lethargic response, as she straightened herself from her previously slouched position and responded with a stifled yawn, Nick let out an exhalation he wasn’t fully aware he was holding in. Ellie apologised with a slight wince for waking him. Nick waited for a fulsome explanation, noting Ellie’s stiffness in returning to her feet and a slow-shuffle gait towards the kitchen sink. Deftly Nick was by his girlfriend’s side, gently extricating the cereal bowl from the blonde’s hand. His fingers brushed the swollen contours of her right hand, the tell-tale sign of several hard punches that had been meted out, the broken skin red and raw on her lead knuckles.
Nick shook his head dolefully, he disliked the additional training that Odette was providing, personally he resented that she was stealing couple’s time away from him, but he had been noticing more and more ‘fight-club’ related injuries the past month and he could see that Ellie was running herself ragged. “Hey B, do you need me to clean your hands?”, he idly pushed a stray hair back behind her ears, allowing him to gaze into her beautiful big eyes.
“It’s nothing, ‘m just a little tired. Your place is nearer to the dojo Odette has me training at…” her explanation trailed away, as Nick guided his partner away from the kitchen. “Bed time for you, Bishop”, his hand planted reassuringly in the small of her back. He watched some of her tension wash-away. “I missed you Nick, I miss our Friday nights, we can still have some fun”, he caught the suggestion in her words and was happy to accept the quick peck on his cheek. He had missed her in his life and in his bed, he mused that this was probably why he was so jealous of the time she was spending on Odette’s training.
“I appreciate the offer, believe me it is tempting”, he punctuated his sentence with a chaste kiss returned to the crown of her head, “but Ellie you look fit to drop, you need rest. We can fool around tomorrow”. He suppressed the urge to carry her to the bedroom, but as soon as Ellie perched on the bed, he could tell her energy was now spent. He propped her momentarily on her side of the bed, searching for a t-shirt that would work as makeshift pyjama top. He helped his lover out of her sweatpants and sweater and into his bed. He smiled indulgently as Ellie shimmied over to the warm side of the bed that he so recently vacated.
Nick gathered the discarded clothes and quickly added them to his hamper, he’d look after them in the morning. It was a win-win situation, he could get Ellie to rest while he cleaned her sweats. He washed the bowl in the kitchen before tip-toeing back into the bedroom, he could scarcely hear Ellie’s drowsy entreaty for him to join her in bed. Nick was happy to comply reunited under the comfortable sheets, they hadn’t slept together for a few weeks and he had missed the companionship, he groaned appreciatively as Ellie snuggled into his warm body, territorially using his chest as her pillow. He sighed contentedly as he listened to his bedmate’s breath deepen and even out. He draped his hand over her midriff, his final contented thought before he drifted off to sleep was how Ellie's presence made his house feel like home.