we'll kick it when i hit the ground

❛ This is pretty extravagant for a charity event. ❜ Owen scoffed, ❛ Not that I’ve been to too many but this is definitely up there. ❜ He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole camping with people he didn’t really know. Suppose that was the whole idea, to get to know someone you didn’t before but he felt like it would have almost been better to bunk with his brother. But that wasn’t the way it worked out. But what did he know, he’d probably be alright with his tentmates. All he knew was he wasn’t going to dwell on it much longer because it would soon start to show on his expression. ❛ Here’s to a good time then. ❜

“Yeah...Wouldn’t call it extravagant but it certainly is something,” Nico mused. “I guess I won’t object to having fun for charity...I’m Nico, by the way.” He held his hand out to Owen.

“Guess who forgot bug spray.”

“Borrow mine if you need some.”

            she pulls herself out of the water, GLEE sparkling in green eyes. she’s just jumped from the HIGHEST spot - adrenaline floods her veins. ‘ hope ya saw that, cause i’m not doin it again, ’ rosie informs the NEAREST person. ‘ i mean - maybe after a coupla beers. but i didn’t bring any, so probably NOT. ’

“Well, no need to fret, dear. I have plenty to share,” he informed her and he grabbed and held out a cold beer for her to take.

“I really don’t like camping but this is for charity…” Genevieve trailed off, her eyes focused on the ground, making sure she wasn’t stepping on some weird insect or an ant pile. “I know we are veterinarians, Nico, but I mean some animals are just weird and annoying.” She pointed out, waving her hand in front of her face. “Mosquitos, for example, I hate them with a burning passion.” 

@nlcopryor

“Never really considered mosquitos to be animals, if I’m being honest. Or any bug for that matter.” Nico had camped a lot as a child, but it was more of an act of escape, running away from his house for a night or two to sleep under the stars. He still enjoyed it, but after their little...interaction the other night, he was a bit wary to spend a week camping with Genevieve as he was unsure as to where they stood.“What kind of charity makes you camp?”

Nico’s body neared her’s and for a moment it felt like everything stopped. For a few seconds his body was close to her’s and though he had just spoken, the silence along with the closeness made everything feel so natural. This was them, their friendship, their feelings finally coming to the surface. Genevieve could feel the tension, she knew she wanted to kiss him more now than ever. Even if they were a bit tipsy, it felt so sobering. The moment his hands touched her, Gen felt like she melted underneath his touch, lips moving in sync with his. After a few seconds of what felt like bliss, so natural, she moved back, the girl’s fingertips reaching for his body, as her forehead rested against his. “Oh my god, we just, we just… kissed.”

Nico let out a little laugh, his tongue in his cheek, leaning down so their foreheads connected. He had been wanting to do that for so long, he didn’t want to stop. “Why do you always have to say something?” Nico stood up straight, staring down into Gen’s eyes. Reaching up, he smoothed some red hair away from her face. “Come to my place with me. Please.”

The slow turn of his body alerted Gen that whatever he was about to say was serious. They had fights over this before, but not this level of anger. No one ever stormed out. It was simple jealousy that escalated. They would have a small argument and the next day laugh about it, but this felt different. She could sense a sort of sadness, something that felt off and none of it made sense until he said those five words. Feelings? No shit, Sherlock I knew that. That was the only thing she could really think of saying but it felt different. Her hand dropped to her side, her face falling. It was real, now. They really were saying these things. She felt the same way, god she felt it. It was so difficult to just pretend that she didn’t care. Now, she didn’t. But, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit that, it would ruin their relationship, their work. It was worth it, she told herself, but she didn’t know how to handle it. At his question, she stood still, her hands pushing into her pockets. “I-” Gen’s words were caught in her throat. “Yes.” The single word came out in a whisper, barely audible. “I don’t know what to say.”

An immense sense of relief washed over Nico at her words. Clearly she was hesitant. Even in his drunken state, he could see that. And he understood. He really did. There was a lot at stake. But my God, they had been friends for five years. If things didn’t work out, they could be adults and go back to how they had been. But there was time to think about all that. Right in that moment, Nico had to do what he had been longing to do for ages. “Than don’t say anything. You don’t always have to say something.” His hand wrapped around to rest on the nape of her neck as he leaned into her, his lips eager yet hesitant as they met hers.

“I forgot my purse at my house this morning so I grabbed my phone, wallet, and keys and left.” She stated, waiting for his response. As soon as he spoke, she knew she had gone a bit too far. The snarkiness in his voice alerted her that she crossed the line. Sighing, she watched him stand up, wobbling his way out. His final words made her realize what she did, pushing the limits, didn’t have the best outcome. Pulling a ten dollar bill from her wallet, Genevieve set it on the table, following Nico out the door. “Now, you know your too drunk to drive home, and you don’t want some lame match on Tinder.” The woman stated, reaching for his wrist. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

Nico stopped walking down the street to look at Gen’s hand around his wrist. Just her touch was enough to calm him down. But, instead of being angry, now he was sad. Dammit, he was sad and drunk and jealous and a mess. How could she not see right through him? And why was he being such a child about all of this? They were both intelligent adults. Why were they playing this game? Fuck it. He was drunk anyways. “I have feelings for you, Genevieve!” He looked down at her, his face unreadable. “I have for a long time.” His jaw clenched as he searched for more bravery. "Is that why you don't want me to find a match? Because you're jealous?"

“I don’t have a fucking purse, idiot.” The laugh was getting louder as she saw the anger boil in Nico. His voice was getting rougher and rougher, his eyes narrowing as he continued to stare down the other man. Sure, some of the sparkles were coming from Nico’s reaction, but some were really from the man across the bar. It felt nice to be noticed, even better to cause jealousy. As Nico shot back another drink, Gen laughed, moving the hair from her face. “It’s 2017!” Her comeback wasn’t that strong. “I mean, can’t I go over to him? Like if I came up to you at some bar would you find that whiny or sexy?” She knew that her question would only further a reaction, the smirk and glance on her face fully turning to Nico, awaiting it.

“What kind of woman doesn’t have a purse? Where do you keep all your stuff?” Nico was grasping at straws, trying to distract himself but, instead, it was just getting him more and more annoyed. “Fine! Fine. It’d be goddamned sexy, Genevieve, is that what you want to hear?” Nico took his last shot and chugged his beer down before sticking his hand in his pocket and tossing some cash onto the bar. “Well, now we’ve both got our plans. You go up to the ball-less wonder over there and I’ll go find some match on Tinder, and you have a blessed weekend, Gen.” Nico stood from his chair, feet a bit unsteady, before angrily pushing the crowds and walking out the door. Why was it that he always felt near sober until he stood up?

Sure, their banter was fun. The constant back and forth teasing was fun but after a while it could wear on the other’s nerves. They knew that they liked one another, they got along spectacular, and even though they pretended to hate one another it was far from it. The sudden look of anger that they would share when they pushed it a bit too far was worth it. “Yeah, him.” The red-head’s smile sparkled, her lips wrapping around the straw of her colored drink for a split second before looking back up to her friend, a laugh escaping her lips. “Really? Him, gay? I just…” She paused trying to take a minute to find the right words. “He seems very interested in me.” Shrugging her shoulders, she looked back at her friend, his fists laying to his side, balled up. “Should I go over there? Or is that too much?”

“Yeah, no, he’s probably checking out your fucking purse or something. Super gay.” Nico asked for a couple shots when the bartender finally brought him his beer. Looking at Gen, Nico analyzed her smile, her eyes. She seemed genuinely pleased but he couldn’t tell if it was from her getting him to react so much or from the attention she was getting from this stranger. Nico sighed, grabbing a shot once the two small glasses were put down in front of him and knocked it back. “No! You shouldn’t do that...Clearly, he’s not that interested if he’s staying over there. You can do better than a coward like that. Plus, you’re ignoring the fact that he’s gay which is so rude of you, Gen. Get with the times.” Fuck, if he didn’t do something, she would probably end up going home with this jackass. Besides, who just stands and stares like that? Grow a pair.

moodboard: nicodemus and genevieve nico and gen

“you deserve the most genuine kind of happiness that this world has to offer.”

The smirk that rested on her friend’s face was a familiar one. Their banter was almost always innocent but the moment she spotted the upturn of Nico’s lips she knew that trouble was stirring. Their mutual attraction was obvious, it had been hinted at all the time, but was still a mystery. They never acted on it, they simply tried to push one another to see what they could get. Tonight it was the brunette that faced her who was pushing her buttons. Laughing a bit, she attempted to put on a fake smile but her face couldn’t hold it together. Falling a bit, Gen bit her lip, holding back a snarky comment. “A game of chance? Well, hopefully, the odds are in your favor tonight.” Her words were gruff, coming out in a mumble. If he wanted to play this game, she was up for it. Looking around the bar, she spotted a male around her age on the other side. Her eyes lingered a bit, a smile forming. Sure the guy across the bar was attractive, but she wasn’t really interested, she had to pretend she was. “Maybe I’ll get lucky tonight, too.”

“Yeah, you and me both.” His mischievous smirk turned into a triumphant grin, which fell just as quickly. What was the saying? Don’t dish it if you can’t take it. Yeah, that was bullshit. Nico would dish it out and get annoyed when Gen returned the favor. His eyebrows furrowed as he followed her gaze. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Who, that guy??” He shook his head disapprovingly and raised his finger, motioning for another drink. “No way. I swear, I’ve seen him going into the gay bar down the block.” His jaw clenched as he looked back at the man. The way he was staring back and smiling at Gen made it quite clear that he was, in fact, not gay. Nico could feel his temperature rising. His temper wasn’t the best when it came to getting jealous over Genevieve. He had no right. The were coworkers and friends, sure. But nothing more. So why were his nostrils flared and his hands balled into fists as he stared the other guy down?

Nodding her head in agreement, Gen kept listening to the male, sipping on her drink as soon as it arrived. It seemed to be a bit too easy to lose herself in his blue hues, over the years she slowly realized it was wrong. She shouldn’t feel that way about her boss, so she simply buried down deep. The mention of Tinder made her eyebrows raise, the look of shock on her face for a second. “Oh, that will be…fun?”

Nico was...almost satisfied with her reaction. But not quite. He still had a button to push, he could tell. But he had to think quickly. It was one of his favorite things, seeing her jealous. There was something thrilling about the taboo. He knew she was attracted to him and she must have known he was attracted to her. That was bound to happen after spending so much time with one another - and it didn’t hurt that she was so stunning. The only question was who would break first. “Eh...just a bunch of weird cat ladies looking for someone to cuddle with,” he waved his hand dismissively. “But every once in a while I get lucky. That’s all it is, a game of chance.” Nico grabbed some peanuts from a bowl on the bar and began chewing on them, something right beneath the surface of his smirk, some unsaid motive.

“you’re a professional dog petter?” she asked, sarcasm in her voice. 

“Mm, yes,” he nodded, face serious. “I’m the best out there. I’m in very high demand right now.”

‘ it’s gotta be nice that people trust you so much with their furry friends, though, right? that deserves a cheers in itself, ’ pru giggles, lifting her glass to him. ‘ next time, i’ll pretend to be your secretary and make ‘em schedule an appointment on a piece of napkin. ’

“Cheers to that,” he laughed, lifting his glass, causing the contents to swirl about before he took another drink. “I’m Nico, by the way,” he informed her warmly, holding his hand out for her to shake.