Nikolas reached over to lightly poke Atlas' cheek with a soft smile, letting him know that he hadn't done anything wrong by asking the question. It was mostly because he usually got a lot of negative comments and stuff about not going to school for as long as he should've. It wasn't exactly his fault, what with his upbringing and all. He listened to Atlas' rambling without complaint, interested in his life even if he didn't specifically ask to be told. He liked listening to him talk about himself, and just talk in general. "Yeah, you can hear it. I'll probably invite you over to some practices and recordings."
Atlas smiled at Nikolas' poke. He loved how Nikolas didn't get annoyed with him when he started randomly talking about things or himself. His face lit up a bit when he heard Nikolas talk. He was excited to both hear the band and meet his friends. They sounded like great people to him. "Yay!! I know you said it would take a bit to get to this place you speak of, but are we almost there?"
Nikolas rolled his eyes with soft laughter but didn't get to answer before his phone was buzzing on top of the dash. He shot an apologetic look towards Atlas, then reached for his phone and answered it, putting it on speaker. "Chaire," he greeted in Greek, focusing back on the road.
A female voice spoke on the other side of the line, sounding bored and uninterested. "The short one called me, said to expect a crowd of four at my studio from now on, including Hunt."
"Yup," Nikolas confirmed.
There was the dull sound of paper being shuffled and a pen writing against a hard desk. "Alright, just wanted to make sure you were aware of this scheme. I'll see you later."
Nikolas said goodbye, then the call was ended. He glanced over at Atlas. "That was Cinthia, one of the owners of the studio Tessa uses."
Atlas nodded, send a soft smile as to say that it's okay. He kept up the smile as he heard Nikolas say something in Greek. He loved it when Nikolas did that, it was very cool to hear. He listened to the very short conversation, looking out the window as he did so. Once the call ended, he looked at Nikolas, nodding. "Cool! Why did she call you? Instead of Tessa or something?"
" 'Cause we both are in charge of babysitting her," he said, rolling his eyes at the thought and huffing a small laugh. "Cin and I are friends, introduced through Tess. She just wanted to check in with me to make sure the nutjobs aren't scheming to rope me into something I didn't sign up for. It wouldn't be the first time they've done that."
Atlas nodded to himself with a little laugh. "Ohh I see. If you don't mind me asking, what have they roped you into in the past?" He asked, intrigued. He thought back to when he hung out with a group of friends, there were definitely the ones that basically babysat the rest, Atlas being one of the people that were babysat. He always played around with them and was actually one of the most 'insane' people. All his friends had dropped him when they got out of high school though, never bothering to even say hi through text.
Nikolas sat back as he sucked in a breath, though there was a fond smile on his lips as he thought back to their past shenanigans. "Well… Ryker's the one that 'infected me with the gay.'" He lifted one hand to do air quotes, chuckling. "Wouldn't leave me alone until I caved. Uhh, Kit invited me on a little picnic that ended up being spying on some kids and dumping laxatives in their drinks to get back at them for bullying some poor kid. Tess has too long of a list to even bother with counting, but one thing I can say is to keep her away from fire and toilet paper."
Atlas giggled quietly the whole time. He was smiling as well. "I well, I'm sure glad he did then, we might not be together if didn't." He said before laughing again. "Sounds like you've had lots to do though. To be completely honest, when I was in high school, I was like that. I was always doing things that could get me in trouble or that weren't safe. I was basically the youngest child that could almost get away with anything." He paused, reminiscing on it for a second. "But, the bad thing, was my friends were kinda homophobic, so no one ever found out, until I came out to the whole school on graduation day, after I was handed my diploma. I got both cheers and boos from the audience."
Nikolas ran his free hand through his hair, mussing it up a bit and letting some strands fall into his face. "Yeah, my life's been eventful, to say the least," he murmured softly, then glanced over at Atlas and listened to him talk. He smiled sadly when he was done, swapping hands so he could reach other and lightly grasp the man's knee. "I know what it's like to deal with homophobia. Thankfully, you don't have to worry about that with my friends." He then shot a playful glare. "And as much as I don't care for all the babysitting I have to do, I have a feeling I'm going to have to keep it up with you."
"Oh you're right, I'm definitely going to need someone to keep me in line sometimes." Said Atlas, smiling. He hadn't done anything yet, but at times he can be a handful. He took Nikolas' hand, that had previously been on his knee, and lightly laced their fingers. "But I'm glad, your friends sound really great, I can't wait to meet them."
Nikolas was happy to lace their fingers together, this thumb lightly rubbing up and down the back of the man's hand. "Hmmm, I think I have a scheme for that," he teased, silver eyes glinting mischievously. "They're a handful for sure, but I think they'll like you. I'll make sure they don't smother you, though." He turned into a dirt road that led into the trees, getting close to where he was taking them. The closer they got, the more excited he got.
"Oh no, should I be worried?" He asked, trying to keep a straight face, but laughing soon after. He noticed it get much quieter once they turned, with there being only one ocasinal compared to many passing each minute. "I hope so, I'd hate to be diliked by my boyfriend's friends."
"Very worried," Nikolas shot back with a smirk, gently squeezing Atlas' hand. He eyed the thickening density of trees and murmured, "We're getting close. There's no one around this place, it's so nice. I always came here whenever I needed to get things off my mind, or just get away from people."
Atlas smiled and glanced at Nikolas. He watched it grow gradually darker as the forest thickened. It was nice and peaceful. He opened his window and reached his other hand out to feel the fresh, clean air. "I'm really excited to see this place, from your descriptions it sounds perfect."
"It is." Nikolas smiled fondly. He fell silent for some time, and then he pulled into a small clearing, shutting off the car. "We're here." He flashed an excited grin, already starting to get out of the car. "C'mon!"
Not far off from where they were parked, there was a treehouse perched in a great tree, the rounded deck on the opposite side overlooking a large pond perfectly reflecting the clear and starry night above. Owls chanted their songs, bats chittered and fluttered about, fireflies floated around like little moving lanterns. Real lanterns hung from multiple branches of the giant tree, as well as some of the neighboring trees. Deer paused in their grazing to bound away into the trees, snorting and huffing their annoyance.
Nikolas strode over to the clearing right before the staircase, head tipped back to look up at the brilliant moon above, his silver and fog-free eyes seemingly glowing. Out of any place, this is where he looked at home, in the wild, in the light of the moon's gaze. His thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his jeans, his eyes darting around to silently identify each cluster of stars.
Atlas was in awe. He got out of the car and stood in place, taking it all in. He slowly closed the car door and walked over to Nikolas. He looked up at the moon and stars, a soft smile set on his lips. He slid his arms around Nikolas' waist, still looking up at the sky. It was like nothing he'd ever seen, all seemingly perfect. It was silent, the kind of silence filled with the sounds of nature. Atlas never got to hear those sounds anymore and it was a nice break from it.
Nikolas looked down at Atlas with a fond smile, wrapping an arm around the adorable man clinging to his waist. "I found this place a while ago, then fixed it up whenever I could until it was finished. I've got the only key, and no one really comes out this far to find it. I just happen to be really nosy," he whispered, as if afraid of shattering the peaceful silence around them. He gently nudged Atlas, jerking his head towards the stairs. "Shall we? The pond is beautiful from a higher view. It's like the sky is neverending."
Atlas listened to Nikolas as he watched the sky, an occasional bird flying across it. He wondered whose it used to be before Nikolas discovered. He nodded and followed Nikolas up the stairs. They felt sturdy under his feet, he liked that. He wasn't afraid of heights, he just didn't like falling.
Nikolas fished for his keys in his pocket, then swiftly unlocked the door once they made it up the stairs. The door swung open, and a cozy living room lit by battery-powered candles greeted them. It was different from his usual silver and black, instead a warmer and earthier color scheme, topped with an electric fireplace. It was nice and cozy, warm and comforting, the perfect place to relax and unwind from a stressful day. The treehouse itself was laid out simply. The majority of the main floor was the living room, decked out with a cozy loveseat facing the fake brick electric fireplace. A soft rug sat beneath the loveseat and the wood and resin coffee table sitting right in front of the piece of furniture. The living room seamlessly flowed into the small kitchen, the room clearly meant for prepping food only and not lingering to eat. On the other side of the treehouse was the bathroom. The bedroom was the only room upstairs, which also housed the balcony that overlooked the pond.
Atlas looked around the treehouse, stunned. It seemed more like a home than his apartment. To be fair, he wasn't at his apartment very often, not bothering with decor. He had a smile on his face, his eyes a little big. Everything just kept getting better. "This is so beautiful… you did this all your self?" He asked, looking back at Nikolas.
Nikolas shook his head. "Most of it was already intact or roughly built, like whoever originally had it had plans but never finished. I just made a few changes with the decoration guidance from a friend, and cleaned things up so they didn't seem so old while keeping the general feel of it." His eyes bounced around the place as if he hadn't already spent forever staring at it all. "Whoever started this really knew what they were doing. I just hoped to do them justice by finishing it and putting it to use—in a good way." A ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Though I don't think bringing my boyfriend here on a date is exactly what I had on my mind at the time."
Atlas glanced around again while listening to Nikolas talk. He had a glimmer in his eyes, admiration and love as well. "In my opinion, you definitely did them justice. I'd be happy to drop everything, move in, and live with you here for the rest of my life. Far away enough from people to be comfortable, but close enough to not be completely isolated."
Nikolas smiled and leaned over to kiss Atlas' cheek. "Me too," he whispered against the man's soft skin, eyes fluttering closed as he kept his face pressed against the side of Atlas' with a happy smile. He was so glad Atlas liked it here. It made him feel better about himself, having shared something special and earning a mutual love for it. "I want to show you the pond," Nikolas murmured, looking up through his lashes at Atlas' eyes.
(I just have to say, I LOVE the way you write. Like your descriptions and stuff are so good! I would happily read a book by you.)
Atlas smiled and turned his head, kissing Nikolas' lips. He looked into the man's eyes lovingly. "Let's go see the pond then! I'm excited to see it." He said quietly, less than half an inch away from Nikolas' lips. He pulled back a bit more and grabbed his hand, ready to see the pond.
((Oh? ive had multiple people say that recently and it's confusing me But thank you!))
Nikolas smiled, looking like a kid in a candy store that was just allowed anything he wanted, and used Atlas' grasp on his hand to pull him up the spiral staircase and into the bedroom. A balcony overlooking the pond led from the set of double doors, and Nikolas brought him outside onto the balcony. "This is what I really wanted to show you," he whispered, forgetting about his lingering grasp as he gazed out.
The lake acted as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the night sky above and creating a wide and beautiful expanse of stars framed by darkened trees. Not a single thing disrupted the water. No frogs deciding to do a little dance beneath the surface, no lily pads floating by like little green boats. It was clearly man-made from the perfect circle it created, so there were no fish to nip at the water in search of a late snack.
