. try it on

[Deleted]

With some surprise, Nick Khan found himself waking up from a midday nap. To add to his initial confusion, nestled against him was the warm body of a sleeping woman, her skin caramel against his white sheets, her hair smelling tantalisingly of expensive shampoo and hints of his own cologne. It wasn't such a surprise to share a bed with a girl, of course, or indeed to nap, since regular short bursts of fitful sleep during the day was often the only sleep he got at all. No, what was surprising was how easy it had been, and the fact that he could drift off alongside her. She too was breaking habit, letting him cuddle her like this. Maybe she was merely tolerating it. Either way, Nick kissed her neck, his voice a low mumble against her skin. "Morning, beautiful. I'll make coffee." Low mumble though it was, the sound of his voice was enough encouragement for Kafka, the pitbull bounding through the apartment and leaping up onto the bed, stomping all over them in his excitement. Laughing, Nick let himself be ravaged by licks for a few seconds, making feeble attempts to push the animal off himself. "Sorry, sorry! C'mon Kaf, let's not drool all over Elena. What have I told you about guests..." Shuffling to the side of the bed, he glanced around his room. The sight of their clothes strewn across the floor brought a grin to his face, flashbacks of what was actually only a couple of hours ago widening it. He spotted some charcoal grey sweatpants, pulling them on and heaving himself up at the same time. Predictably, he didn't bother looking for a shirt. Instead he set about the tasks of the morning, buoyant from his short but sweet nap, still amazed that he could have slipped off to such deep slumber with such little effort. He understood that most people drifted off after sex, given the physical exertion and the likelihood of being in a bed already, but both those things were usually triggers for his sleeplessness. Maybe he just got lucky. Having washed his face and brushed his teeth in the en suite bathroom, he was still patting his face dry with a towel slung around his neck when he remerged in the bedroom. He couldn't help stealing a glance at Elena, relief at getting to see her again still fresh. "Do you take sugar and cream? Doesn't matter, that's the only way I make it," he asked futilely, chucking the towel on top of his overflowing laundry basket. The rest of the apartment still felt vaguely sad to him. Still, it cheered him that he had kept his promise to August and made the effort to carry her from that room to his, tempting though it had been to just go at it on the mattress in front of the projector. In fact, so pleased with himself was he that he picked his phone up from the counter where it previously lay forgotten, snapping a quick picture and sending it off to his buddy. Still sacrosanct, thank me later. Abandoning the phone again, he set about feeding the dog and making coffee, careful not to mix the two. Moments later it was done, the French press full of dark, rich liquid in one hand, two mugs preloaded with sugar and creamer held haphazardly in the other. Placing them on the bedside table nearest her, he took the chance to subtly knock a condom wrapper off it, stifling a grin as he sat on the bed. "Come on birthday girl, wake up and keep me company," he insisted, draping himself over her as if he didn't weigh a ton. ......................... tag: elena vasquez notes: there was a time i knew how to write but this was not that time. music: interpol.

[elena vasquez]

Elena Vasquez was a notoriously heavy sleeper, despised by her mother when she was a girl and couldn't seem to get herself out of bed to get ready for school. A morning person she was not, even then when she was young, and she had struggled to tie up her shoes and eat her breakfast without disappearing to crawl back to bed. Spanish profanities were often shouted at her -- in the way a mother can get away with -- if she ever managed to slip back between the sheets. Her mother had once lost a job because Elena was incapable of getting up. Watching her mother's frustrated cries were enough to make the elementary aged child fear more than the rushed, angry hands that pulled up her socks and zipped her metro card through the turnstile because she couldn't reach. When she became a teenager, and didn't need to be accompanied by her sole parent, she missed enough morning classes that the principle at the public school called home, and she saw the fresh, angry tears on her mother's face once again. It was only when she was accepted to Columbia, and paid for her own education out of loans and pocket, that she began to be more responsible in the hours between nine and twelve. Though, when she had the chance, on she slept. She did not feel Nick stir beside her, nor did she feel the kiss on her neck as he stood. It was not until the pitbull bounded on the bed that she jerked awake, peering out from behind the duvet and sheets to stare with one dark eye at the dog that had decided to bound across the mattress. Elena turned on her stomach, not quite hearing anything Nick said, already drifting back off as he brushed his teeth. She inhaled the scent of his sheets, the thought of him flickering through her mind in a happy memory. The movie had been a funny blur, a mishmash of her male friends in women's clothing and recreations of her and Nick's love story. She'd enjoyed it, more than she'd had probably let onto him in that moment, but then communicated just how much she loved his birthday present by climbing atop him in the very same bed she lay in. With Nick, she made an active effort to be better with her words, usually buttoned up. Elena was a girl that relied on her actions to display her affection more than anything else. His easy way, however, made her easy. The smell of coffee followed the man into the room, and as he sank down into the bed beside her, she felt the tickle of his words on her neck, followed by the weight of his body. One of her dark hands came up to pull the duvet down from her face, and just like Kafka, she peered at him with one dark eye. "If you crush me and I'm dead, you'll have zero company and a body to dump." She pulled the cover away from her face, hands coming up to dance across his bare back. Her stomach fluttered, feeling the hard expanse of muscle under her finger tips. Squirming under him the best that she could, the young woman found his mouth with hers, a hand travelling up his neck and knotting in his dark hair. "It's not my birthday anymore," she said as she took a breath, before finding his mouth again. When she finally pulled away for good, she looked over to the beside table where the coffee sat. "Liquid life. I need it." ......................... notes: it's as if i didn't have professional writing training. music: stairway to heaven.

[Deleted]

It was a quantifiable fact that Nick had the most comfortable bed in the world. Years of battling insomnia had brought with it a host of failed supposed solutions, from keeping all electrics out of the room (to the extent that for some weeks he'd only had candlelight), to white noise machines and of course, the best mattress and bedding money could buy. The mattress was memory foam with a topper so soft it was like sleeping on cotton candy, his bedding goose down covered in Egyptian cotton sheets. Of course none of these things made one jot of difference to what was a chronic illness, but he had decided that despite that they had been good investments, if only for moments like this one. When Elena speaks he can still hear the croak of recent sleep in the back of her throat and he smiles, all the more so for the threat it contains. "Got it, good point." Her hands find his hair, and as her fingertips glide against his back they leave goosebumps in their wake, electric attraction jolting through him. He channels it into the kiss, his lips meeting hers greedily as he rolls off of her, though he keeps his body pressed against hers. When she pulls away to speak, he can't help but pout, though it doesn't last long as their lips meet again.  "As far as I'm concerned," he said, pausing to kiss her briefly, "it's your birthday all day long." Resuming kissing, his hands find the small of her back, holding her against him. Secretly Nick had been glad not to have had to fill a whole weekend with activities. Not that the task wasn't one he was up to, one he would have relished even, but the risk of coming on too strong would have been exponentially high. As much as he felt secure in himself and especially secure around Elena, who did not seem to he fazed by much that he did or even was capable of doing, he was determined to prove the naysayers wrong and make this last longer than the usual six weeks. Why was he so obsessed with six week cycles? He knew Elena was different, but he also knew that he said that every time - now was the time to prove it. So it was with relief that their plans changed, that schedule clashes made their time together more fleeting and all the sweeter for it. Not everything had to be rushed.  Still, this newfound patience had its limits. Groaning as she pulled away from him, he fell back on the bed and tried to calm himself down. Hot blood cooling, he got a grip enough to smile, leaning across her and pouring the coffee into the two mugs with ease. "Here," he said, propping up the pillows under them so they could both sit up, then handing her the steaming mug. Choosing to again pretend that he had forgotten she wasn't one for cuddling under the covers, he put an arm around her shoulders to encourage her to lean in to him. "I have to say, Lena, I owe you. I haven't had a nap that good in ages." He took a sip of his coffee, trying to remain nonchalant. "Everything else? Had better, but it was worth it for the sleep." Taking another sip immediately was the only means of hiding his grin, the obvious lie written all over his face. "Do you really have to go this afternoon? I can't believe you wouldn't even give me the whole day." ......................... notes: i'm sorry i was quick i just got excited music: interpol still.

[elena vasquez]

When Teddi had first told Elena that she'd given a friend her number, the young woman hadn't been excited, or even thought much about it. As she'd told Nick, her relationships never lasted longer than three months, most often because they grew boring and stale and she stopped responding to texts until things eventually fizzled. She was independent to a fault and focused more on her writing career than she did on personal relationships. The only person she'd considered her best friend in years was Charlotte, and she felt no need to apologize for that. Quite content on being alone, it took her a while to open up, and commitment never seemed to be on her mind. It wasn't that she was afraid of it so to speak, but that she hadn't found anyone she liked that much. Though, as Nick's mouth moved against her own, memories of the night before came rushing back to flush her cheeks, and she reconciled to the idea that she liked him and that he was different. The nearly perfect bed under her did not help, and she would not have minded sleeping in it every day for the rest of her life, even if they were to break up. She missed him as he broke away, leaning up slightly to follow his lips before she sunk back against the pillow. Her eyes travelled over his skin, noting with a calculated gaze that he looked so much better in person than he did on the internet. The sheer broadness of him had surprised her, then drove her near to insane as she looked over at him during his movie. He was almost puppy-like, constantly wagging his metaphorical tale and determined to please. It was a quality in him that made her aloofness soften, that made her laugh fall from her mouth with an ease it never had. "I bet you date girls that insist their birthdays are a week long event." Elena almost pouted as he slid off her, enjoying the press of his body against hers. When his mouth found hers again, she pressed herself to him as he lay on his side. He began to prop up the pillows and she sat up, reaching over the edge of the bed to find a shirt. She pulled it over her head, noting that it was his and not hers, and sat cross-legged on the bed with the fabric pooling between her legs. As he handed her the mug, she peered inside, only to be happily surprised. "I like my coffee the same shade as my fuck buddies." Elena took a sip, letting the sweetness wash through her mouth, followed by the bitter. She watched him sharply over her mug, not even bothering to raise a brow as he chided her. A lie. She knew it, and he knew it. "I fucked you to sleep. Let's not pretend that's anything short of magical." She held out her mug, and slid one leg over him. When she was seated across his lap, she took another sip. "Yes, unfortunately. You shouldn't have cancelled. I keep a pretty busy schedule." ......................... notes: student is here SRRY music: mouth breathing

[Deleted]

Compared to himself, Elena was an enigma. As he lay in bed beside her, his fingers running through her silky mass of dark hair, he briefly realized just how little he knew of her. There was the fact that they had only known each other for two weeks, of course, but he was the type who could be known and known well in short periods of time, the type of person you met once and felt like you'd known forever. Elena gave the impression of being someone you could be intimately acquainted with for decades, and yet still not truly true. It was mysterious, and whilst mysteriousness was usually touted as being either sexy or alarming, Nick was surprisingly indifferent to it. It was a nice foil to his emotional openness, his tendency to chat just for the sake of chatting. Over the night there had been times where they had lapsed into silence and, tellingly, he had found it comfortable, felt very minimal need to fill the air with words. It was a level of comfort even Nick didn't usually reach quite so quickly. Her comment makes him pause. Did he date girls like that? Thinking back brought up such a broad range of women, older and younger, sweet girls and sporty girls and girls who might have killed him one day, if he'd stayed with them long enough to drive them to it. The honest answer was that most of them were so fleeting that actually, now that he thought about it, he didn't often happen to get tangled up with them at a time coincidentally close to their birthday. Chance though it was, it felt like yet another sign that Elena was not just another pretty face to add to the index. "I date a lot of girls, I couldn't possibly say," he confessed, knowing this wouldn't faze her one bit. Taking a sip of his coffee at just the wrong moment, he snorts into it as she makes her fuckbuddy comment. He fixes his face into a small frown, this time making more of an effort to appear convincing as he feigned hurt. "So that's all I am to you? A fuck buddy?" Putting the coffee down as indignantly as he can manage, he avoids her eyes. "I..." his voice cracks, a hand raising to his chest as he hams up the performance, wiping at tears that aren't there, "...I really thought we had something." He holds up his hands in surrender. "You're right, you're right. Pure magic. You have a valium vagina," he conceded, kissing her on the head and feeling inwardly genuinely grateful. It just felt so fucking good to have slept soundly. He nods at her confirming her continued punishment, depriving herself of him for the rest of the day. It felt like as good a time as any to come clean, though he didn't particularly want to ruin the beauty of the moment. Especially not as she slipped one leg over his, her smooth skin gliding effortlessly against the cotton of his sweatpants and making him yearn to pull her back under the covers. Instead, he cleared his throat. "Probably for the best, I need to get shit done. My niece is moving in for a month tomorrow, only downside is I'm gonna have to spend most of my time playing daddy while she's here. Promise me a whole weekend when I'm done?" ......................... notes: poopaloop music: STILL interpol

[elena vasquez]

The boys Elena dated were much like Nick's own menagerie - hardly similar, as different from one another as they were from her. There had been a few young bankers, college students, the occasional musician or director she'd met through Vice. Tinder had given her even more options, a video game developer, a librarian, and the guy from Arizona who sold Hatch chilis at the Union Square farmer's market one month out of every year. When she'd thought about it, she also had never celebrated a single birthday, let alone anything that resembled an anniversary. She liked aloneness, preferred to celebrate with her mother or with Charlotte, and now that Nick was around, she had quietly, but happily adopted him into that close circle. After meeting him, she'd never given his place as a companion of sorts a second thought, aside from the small hiccup that was Leo Kennedy and his bruised ego. As Nick makes his comment about dating many girls, Elena's face doesn't change, just looks him bluntly in the eye as a small smirk curls on her mouth. As Nick pretends to fake cry, the smirk only deepens. What was he to her? What were they exactly? Elena was the type that thought it went without saying - that they understood their mutual interest in one another. If she'd wanted to fuck other people, she wouldn't have been shy in saying so; the prospect of sleeping with only him didn't make her uncomfortable. She was unashamed and unafraid of the things she wanted and took them in stride. "Here, let me help you with those," she said, and reached down from on top of him to brush away the faux tears that dotted his cheeks. "I know. It's hard. I know being a boyfriend is your favourite job in the world, but you just haven't gotten the promotion yet." Elena pouts, looking at him with feigned pity. She brings the mug to her lips and takes another sip, shrugging as if to tel him it would all be okay eventually. As he makes a comment about her valium vagina, she reaches down, still drinking coffee from her mug, and jabs him sharply in the arm pits with two slender fingers. Admittedly, feeling him close under her with very little separating them was keeping her alert. As he clears his throat, she puts down her mug, regarding him from her perch as he speaks. She quirks a brow. "So you're ditching me for the little niña right after I get home from Miami? You're not getting shit." Elena clucks her tongue. She looks around his room, noting the absence of anything child related, and then also tried to recall if she'd seen anything in the apartment that might have indicated a child might soon arrive. This was a quality of Nick's she wasn't sure of how to measure - his need and desire to be a father. She'd had no opinion of children before meeting him, though had liked to see the latinx and black children in her neighbourhood on their ways to school every morning, their backpacks swinging. Something instinctual made her run her hands up his arms and hold them above his head by his wrists, pressing her mouth to his once more. She pressed herself to him, deepening the touch of their mouths. Elena stayed there for a moment, before she sat up and slid off him, tugging on his hand to leave the bedroom. "Well, come on then, if she moves in tomorrow we don't have much time. August's room looks like a movie theatre crossed with a sex den. And your kitchen needs to be kid proofed." ......................... notes: i saw beauty & the beast. it was good. music: no.

[Deleted]

Her fingers glide against his cheek, their tips soft against his skin as she wipes away his pretend tears. It wasn't until he was mid pantomime display of hurt that he realised he had accidentally put the question out there, the big what are we? By taking offence, even mock offence, at the suggestion of being a mere fuck buddy he had made a statement he wasn't sure he had meant to make. What was it that he wanted them to be? August and Teddi declaring their relationship official had thrown him, and he wondered whether this was something they would have to do too. The truth was that he was comfortable with the lack of concrete terms, and as she did away with the boyfriend title he found himself inwardly relieved. After all, he was never anyone's boyfriend for very long. It had gotten to the point that he feared the title itself was cursed, that the second he could define something in such concrete terms he would inevitably destroy it shortly after. This, he was sure, would be different, and so it felt fitting to avoid rushing into anything. "That's ok, I'm grateful to have any job at all. Feel free to set me some KPI's,," he said, leaning his head against hers and inhaling the smell of her coffee as she took a sip, "Just so we're clear, I'd probably be upset if you fucked someone else. So tell me if that's on the cards, alright? All I ask is that you give me the heads up." Compared to most people, Nick was not a very jealous person. However, compared to Elena? He felt like a green eyed monster. He wasn't sure how deep her indifference ran and didn't care to think about it in case he didn't like the answer, but she said that she wasn't bothered by the thought of him with other girls and he had no reason to doubt her. It was odd really, if he had thought about it before he would have assumed this to be his dream scenario, an unlabelled relationship with a beautiful girl who didn't care what he did or who he did it with. But now that it was happening, he sort of wished she cared more, if only because he cared so much when it was the other way round. Still, that was his problem, not hers, and it was about time he was more transparent. Like with the Naila situation. Relieved to have it out there but scared of the reaction, he momentarily stiffened as she clicked her tongue, apparently disapproving. However it's not long before she's kissing him and he returns it with enthusiasm, roughly taking hold of her and pulling her on top of him without breaking away. She pulls away too soon, leaving him pouting all over again. What she says, though, more than makes up for it. Watching her as she got up, his eyes followed as the thin fabric of his shirt draped across her curves, her skin almost visible through the cotton. Her hand tugs and he lets himself be a dead weight, pout powering through her entreaties. "Oh come on. Let her sleep in a sex pit, let her play with knives, so long as I get another half hour in bed with you," he pleads, though he's getting up as he says it. Now stood, he towers over her at 6'3", and he takes advantage of the size difference to hug her from behind, his arms wrapping round her with ease. "I'm gonna tell Naila she's got a lot of making up to do. Here," he let her go, heading over to his closet and pulling out a clean towel for her. "If you wanna shower, that is. Let me know if you think you'll need some supervision, I guess I could force myself to join you." ......................... notes: poop on a stick music: american beauty soundtrack

[elena vasquez]

There was an ease to Nick Khan that Elena found surprisingly attractive. It was his own brand of charismatic puppy was made with her in mind, for she'd dated many clingy, enthusiastic guys and they happened to be her least favourite. Whether it was because they housed some sort of secret insecurity that Nick did not, Elena wouldn't know. She was not a fan of the territorial, especially when it was unwarranted, but that wasn't to say she was up for disrespect. When she said she wasn't jealous, that didn't mean that was a go ahead for an relationship that was uncommitted or open. It was instead to say that other girls didn't threaten her - hangouts alone, social media posts, word of mouth rumours - Elena was not the type to worry about these things and found them ridiculous. They were often the games that people played that were the ultimate death to whatever bloomed between them. Elena saw no use for it, no desire to fuss. Sleeping with other people, however, was an entirely different matter. She would trust him until he proved untrustworthy, and then she would move on. "Yeah, I'll let you know. And I'd appreciate it if you did the same. Just because I'm not jealous doesn't mean I want to share you with Buzzfeed groupies, or ex-girlfriends, or Queens coffee baristas. And if you're ever dissatisfied without a label, let a girl know that too. We can talk about it." HIs roughness on her is the type she likes, yet another reason she has come to like him as much as she has. Elena finds it difficult to pull away from him when he puts his hands on her in this way, when he exercises the time he's put in at the gym. When he goes slack at her tug, it's almost enough to send her reeling back, for he barely moves at all when she pulls on his arm. "C'mon, King Khan. You don't mean that. The second that kid comes through this door, you're going to drop me. And for totally good reason." As he gets out of bed, she can't help but keep her gaze on him locked, wandering over the expanse of his chest, finding it just as hard as he did to leave the state they were currently in. It took a lot for her not to turn and wind her arms and legs around him, but as he closed the distance between them and swept her against his chest, she felt fine settling for that instead. "Don't think she's going to quite get what you mean, and I advise against it. Kids remember that shit. You'll scar her when she's older." She feels the absence of him, and turns around to see where he's gone, as if the small absence was too much. Elena would have assumed about herself that the mention of a child would have been off-putting, that this dad-like quality and love for Nalia that Nick had might not have meshed with her personality. Though she found herself intrigued by the idea, attracted to the responsibility and duty he seemed to have to his niece, and she pondered briefly if this was a quality she liked in him or one she would like in all men. She accepted the towel, and shook her head, keeping it around her arm. "Let's survey the damage we could do to Naila's innocence if we keep the room the way it is, and then we can shower after we come to our senses and change everything about it until it's unrecognizable. Poor August. He'll never be able to look at his room the same. Then, I foresee myself needing help with the shower. " She winked, then left the room, padding down the hallway to peer into the theatre he'd made the night before. ......................... notes: gave u zero. music: zilch.

[Deleted]

This was the first time since August had left that he was happy in the apartment again. What had been a looming emptiness, even with the company of his huge dog, suddenly didn't seem so bad, her presence making this a place he did not want to ever have to leave. It was so domestic, her in his shirt, coffee cup in hand, that he thought briefly of proposing. As if that was the only way to capture the moment, to make sure it would recur. It was typical of Nick to make spontaneous decisions, so typical in fact that he was surprised he hadn't popped the question to someone yet. The thought leaves his mind as she responds to his request, and her reply cheers him immensely. At least, except for the bit about Queens baristas. He thought of Andrea, who he knew would just be starting her shift in the little coffee place across the road. In a very stalkerish fashion, Nick had memorized her whole schedule-- he didn't even have the decency to be embarrassed by this fact, and actually joked about it with her. Now that he thought about it he wondered if the auburn haired girl wasn't actually creeped out by this and too polite to say - she didn't seem it, seemed flattered even, maybe. He made a mental note to apologize to her anyway, to make some mention of his sort of girlfriend. This too was typical of him, saying aloud that he liked the lack of labels whilst privately he used them without thinking. How had Elena known about the coffee girl? Of course she didn't know about Andrea specifically... he supposed he was just the kind of person who would fall in love with a barista, and it was too true to argue with.  Not that he would. Beaming, he kissed her again. "Oh, you're stuck with me. Never met a Buzzfeed groupie with a Valium vag, no reason to stray," he grinned, grabbing her hand and threading his fingers with hers before she could give him another jab. It was a gesture he regretted, however, when she started to use it to try to tug him out of bed. Groaning, he waved her comments away, heaving himself up. "I won't ditch you for her, you're welcome to come along. Play happy families. She's great with new people, she'll love you." True to form, he's said all this before he's actually thought about it. His affection for Naila was obvious and insuppressible, and he wouldn't have blamed Elena for feeling overwhelmed by it. With his arms around her he nuzzled into her hair, its scent familiar and infinitely cheering. "Though it is your birthday week, so don't think you have to share it with her." Following her through to the other room, he wondered how mad August would be if he broke his promise. Did he really take a blacklight to the place? It wouldn't surprise Nick at all if he had. Leaning against the doorframe of the other room, he surveyed it alongside Elena. Mattress on the floor, fairy lights and more pillows and blankets than anyone could ever need... that didn't seem so bad for a little kid. "It's fine, it's totally fine. Here," before she could stop him, he bent over and swept her off his feet, carrying her easily across his arms. "Let's just make sure this mattress is ok, though," he said, dropping her onto it and following suit, pinning her down with the weight of his body. "See? Fine. Better than fine." ......................... notes: i literally gave you nothing this HANGOVER IS KILLING ME music: american beauty soundtrack

[elena vasquez]

The prospect of playing house did not scare Elena Vasquez, though that was not to say she was absolutely swooning at the idea. She'd grown up babysitting the children in her building, and from the time she was thirteen onward, she'd always had a job because there was no shortage of mothers that needed help with after school care. Yet, it had been a while since she was charged with the responsibility of anyone but herself, and she wondered briefly each time Nick brought up Naila if it was some sort of test, if her reactions about and interactions with the child were weighted. It was clear that Naila was dear to him, and then for the first time it seemed to click that Freya was obviously not Nick's sister, which left the question of what happened to Nick's brother, and why he wasn't in the picture. He'd said, fleetingly once, that it was a long story, and she had forgotten about it until then, willing to learn other things about him when they were first so new to each other. Though, as Elena contemplated it, Nick was becoming not so new anymore, as time tended to do to relationships. It occurred to her that she might like to learn the deeper pieces of him and listen to the stories that were too long to tell. "My birthday week was last week, remember? This signals the end. Miami was the celebration, too bad you couldn't have been there." The young woman winked at him, turning back to look at the room. How they'd made it to the other bedroom was beyond her, for their week away had done nothing for her patience, especially not when getting Nick Khan into bed was involved. She thought momentarily of August, and their last conversation, and the cup of coffee that he'd met her for after. She knew that out of all of Nick's friends, he was the one she'd have to impress. Their meeting felt like an interview, like an interrogation, as if she was trying out for something. The way she'd handled him was the way she would handle Naila: sweetly, funnily, appealing to the small sense she had of them. Elena wasn't usually one to pander, and with August it was more like she was meeting a step-child for the first time. She knew he wanted to hate her, for some small victory over Nicholas, but she had liked him regardless, if not for the small daggers he'd thrown her way. "I really am looking forward to meeting her, you know. I hope that comes across as genuine. If playing happy family is fun for her, then I don't mind at all playing it. And honestly, if we keep going with each other at this rate, I'm gonna need to know what kind of husband you'll make." Yes, Elena would go through the motions. She crossed her arms over her chest, but then her feet were taken out from under her, and Nick's wide body was pressed to hers. She was knocked breathless for a moment, nails raking down his back. He was still without a shirt, and she still without pants, which was yet another setback in her attempt to not succumb to an afternoon in bed. Her legs wound around his sides, her arms about his neck, and her mouth found his roughly. "I get the feeling you like making children just as much as you like looking after them? If not more. We already knew the mattress was fine." The heel of her foot dug into the back of his thigh, drawing him as close as he could be without the absence of clothing. "Did I ever tell you about coffee with August? I barely managed to get him on my side. I could probably handle it if he wasn't." Elena kissed him again. "But it's totally up to you. If we defile his mattress, that might be proper punishment for his bad behaviour. He doesn't have to know. Then again, I don't think you're capable of being that malicious, Archie Andrews." ......................... notes: poop music: more chainsmokers.

[Deleted]

Nick had been mildly in denial about the fact that he had Naila for a month on his own, and hugely in denial about how much of an impact on his life that would have. Having to be fully accountable for a child for that much time was daunting, even for a man as naturally predisposed to childcare as he was. There was no denying that he was a hands on, indulgent uncle to the little girl, but he knew that was not the same as being a full time parent, didn't even begin to compare. Still, when Elena speaks it sounds as though she's speaking from the heart, and her honest enthusiasm sent a rush of affection through him that he couldn't put into words so didn't try, instead kissing her again. "Can you do me a favor and pinch me? This can't be real, you can't be real." He laughs at the husband comment, finding it all too easy to imagine being married to her. "If we keep up at this rate we'll be married by June, divorced by September. But Elena Khan, it's got a ring to it." Finding himself back on the mattress in August's room was as sure a test of his loyalty as was possible. Feeling the shape of her body through the fabric of her shirt, his blood ran hot, his heartbeat deafening in his ears. Kissing her hungrily, his hands roamed her body as he held on to her, rolling over so she was on top of him and probably having an easier time breathing. "Oh I'm big on the journey being just as important as the destination," he agreed, trailing kisses down her neck. Then she mentioned the 'A' word, making him pause. He didn't even realize that he hadn't asked about their meeting until now, despite the fact he'd felt anxious about it since hearing it was happening. The fact she showed up to see him after was enough reassurance that August hadn't done too much damage, and he had been so excited about showing her the film and getting her on this very mattress that he had forgotten all about it. Still, the mere mention threw him into the agony of having to make a moral decision. His body was screaming at him to go with it, to rip her clothes off and keep it from August forever. But she was right, he didn't have it in him. Heaving a heavy sigh, he gently nudged her away, closing his eyes and trying to think hideous thoughts to calm himself down. "Fuck, you're right. Goddamnit."  His blood cooling, he turned on his side, propping himself up to look at her. "I feel like we talk about me and my shit all the time. Let's talk about you," he rested a hand on the small of her waist, unable to go five minutes without touching her. "Tell me something about you that not many people know." He was hungry for more of her, of course physically but more than that, he wanted more of her in any way he could get it. He wanted to know what she was like as a kid, how she got on with her mom, what her favorite food was and what she couldn't stand. He wanted to know what college she went to, if any, and what landed her a job at Vice, how she liked it and what she dreamed of doing longterm. He was greedy for her, and hoped it showed, his curiosity as genuine as could be. ......................... notes: POOP music: katya compilations on youtube