Nic had already had a bad day by the time he and Elliot got to the restaurant for dinner. It had been a long day at work, culminating in two phone calls from the big bosses at the end of the day, one chewing his ass for not denying someone's claim, and the other for being too tough on the older clients of the insurance firm. How he could be too nice and too tough all at once was just one more clusterfuck that this job managed to push him into every single day he was there. By the time five rolled around, he was ready to rip his tie off and choke someone with it. Luckily, he managed to sneak out past everyone without having to talk much more than "yeah, you have a good weekend" a few times, and made it to the car, the loud music starting up the second he turned on the car instantly calming him the tiniest bit.
By the time he got home, he was feeling almost normal again, but the second he'd walked in he noticed shoes in a pile by the door and the way the computer monitor was turned askew and he'd gotten pissed off all over again. It had started one of those nitpicky little arguments that never seemed to end, and he'd finally told his boyfriend to get clothes - real. clothes. for fuck's sake - on and get in the car. Driving back across town almost to the office he'd left almost an hour and half before was maddening in the traffic and the parking lot of the restaurant was beyond packed. After asking Elliot why he'd let him pick this place, he finally managed to get out of the car and walk to the door, holding it open for his boyfriend who took his sweet-ass time. "Any day," he said, rolling his eyes. Christ, sometimes Elliot acted like a four year old.
Thus, he was already in a bad mood, and then their waiter was completely maddening with his swish and sway and flirty looks. Nic ordered wine in a clipped tone for both himself and Elliot, then sent the waiter away with a dismissive gesture. The second he was removed from hearing distance, Nic turned toward his boyfriend, his mouth a tight line of anger. "What the fuck?" he started, "why didn't you just jerk him off at the table, Elliot? Could you be any more obvious?" His voice dripped with vitriol, and his jaw clenched a little-convulsively. It was a bad place to be. A dangerous place, because when Nic was in this mood, there wasn't much Elliot could do or say that was going to make things right.