"Oh I'm glad, there's definitely more coming," Atlas said quietly and with a smile. He gazed into Nikolas' perfect eyes as they continued around the pond. This was definitely the perfect way to distract and clam down Atlas. He temporarily forgot all about anything else except for him and Nikolas in the moment. He leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on Nikolas' lips.
Nikolas hummed with a smile, not at all minding the promise of ramblings. Atlas seemed to be doing better, and for that, he was glad he was able to do something to at least attempt to ease the lashings of the bad things that happened today. When he felt those amazing lips against his, he splayed his fingers over Atlas' back and kissed him back just as softly. "I look forward to it," Nikolas mumbled, not pulling away just yet and still smiling.
(I swear I posted something… sorry lol)
Atlas smiled, his lips still barely touching Nikolas'. His eyes slowly closed and he lightly relaxed in his boyfriend's arms, suddenly feeling very tired. The whole thing, the moon, the silence, the animal sounds, and being alone with Nikolas, calmed him down enough to realize how tired he had gotten throughout the day. "Um, I just got really tired… can we go back inside?" He asked very sleepily, opening his eyes with much effort, and looking into Nikolas'.
(It's okay!)
Nikolas nodded and gripped onto Atlas a little better as he swam towards the edge of the pool, then lifted them both out of the water. He set Atlas down onto his feet, but kept him pressed close to Nikolas' side as he guided him back towards the staircase. Honestly, now that he thought about it, fatigue was tugging at the back of his mind as well. He hasn't slept much lately, and this place always somehow managed to calm him enough to get him to sleep like a normal person.
Atlas crossed his arms to try to warm himself a little, it was a bit chilly out of the water. He leaned his head on Nikolas' arm, closing his eyes as he was guided back to the house. The water had been very nice, the perfect temperature. He missed swimming like he used too, and next time he was in that pond, he had to do some laps.
"Y'know," Nikolas started as he approached the steps, then started up them, "If you want to come back here, with or without me, I can give you an extra set of keys. Though, it's quite a long walk from the apartment…" He tipped his head to the side as he thought, barely registering himself opening the door and walking inside. He had a feeling Atlas would want to come back, but it was better to just outright ask instead of assume.
Atlas lifted his head slowly to look up at Nikolas. "Hm?" He responded, his brain still sluggishly processing what Nikolas said. After a second more Atlas said quietly, "Oh… that would be great… I'd definitely come again." He mumbled, spotting the bed. He started going to it then stopped, remebering he was in a wet, cold swim suit.
Nikolas let go of Atlas to grab a sweatshirt and sweatpants for the other man to borrow. "Here," he said, handing them to Atlas with a kind smile. "I'll go get changed in the bathroom." He pressed a gentle kiss to the other's forehead, lips lingering for a second. "Don't wait up for me, just head to bed when you're done, alright? Get some sleep."
"Mm, thanks…" Atlas murmured as he waited for Nikolas to go to the bathroom before changing. He had dried off from walking from the pond to the treehouse. The clothing was a bit baggy, but it was comfortable and warm. He left the swimsuit on the floor and shuffled to the bed. He opened the sheets and blankets and crawled inside, curling up almost immediately.
((sorry for the wait! I've been on and off with the writing mood))
Nikolas headed into the bathroom to change into just a pair of sweatpants, quickly using a towel to dry off body and hair. Once he was done with that, he hung up his swimming trunks and towel, then quietly padded his way up to his bedroom. He peeked into the bedroom and smiled to himself when he spotted Atlas already curled up in the bed. He's so cute. Nikolas slipped into the room and closed the door behind him, then closed the curtains over the glass balcony door before coming over to the other side of the bed. He slid under the covers, trying to refrain from disturbing Atlas as much as possible, then reached over and wrapped the smaller and adorable boy into his arms, holding him close to his chest.
(It's all good, I totally understand that.)
In his sleep, he unconsciously cuddled closer to Nikolas. He had fallen into a peaceful sleep, having totally forgotten about the previous events. He couldn't have thought of a better thing to do with Nikolas, every single thing about this place was perfect and he wanted to spend his life here with his boyfriend. Sooner or later he'd have to deal with the consequences, he could afford to wait until the next day at least.
Nikolas smiled and ran featherlight fingers over Atlas' checks, then planted a sweet kiss to his forehead. "Kalinýchta agápi mou," He whispered against his skin, then held Atlas close as he, too, started to fall asleep. While today had been a very up-and-down day, Nikolas was happy he could help his boyfriend end it like this. He seemed to peaceful in his sleep, and Nikolas wanted nothing more than to keep him like that for as long as he could.
~Time Skip~
Late the next morning, Atlas awoke to the sound of birds chirping and sunlight shining through the curtains. He was still against Nikolas' chest, one of his arms flung over the man while the other was curled up against his chest. His eyes fluttered open, a soft smile growing on his lips. What an amazing feeling it was to wake up in this man's arms. That was definitely the best he's slept in a while. Normally he doesn't sleep the best since he's stressed there's a lot on his mind, that night, however, there was nothing of the sort.
Waking up during the day was always difficult for him, mostly because he preferred the night. It was also difficult when he had a good sleep, and that night had been one of the rare times he's slept so soundly during the night. Because of this, he slowly waned into awareness when he felt the warmth of the sun and the singing of the birds. Nikolas groaned softly in protest and shifted just enough to bury his face into the pillow. "Den thélo na sikothó…" he whined quietly into the fabric, already husky morning voice amplified by the full Greek accent.
A small shiver ran down his spine after hearing Nikolas. "Hm…?" He hummed. Atlas buried his face in the crook of Nikolas' neck, planting a lazy kiss there then closing his eyes again. It was so warm and comfortable and safe under the covers, cuddled up to Nikolas, it would definitely take a lot of effort to get out of bed that morning.
Nikolas also shivered when he felt Atlas' lips on his neck, but he simply pulled Atlas as close as possible to him and smiled weakly. It took a few tries to remember how to English, but he couldn't shove away the accent as he murmured, "I don' wanna get up." Nikolas would much rather cuddle with Atlas all day than getting out of bed and being productive members of society. That could wait. Atlas was better.
"Mmm me neither," Atlas mumbled against Nikolas' neck. He tightened his arms around Nikolas a bit and his legs tangled with the other's. All his responsibilities could wait, according to himself. In reality, he should be discussing what to do now with his manager. But at this point, he forgot he is a singer with a manager and a producer. He forgot that he has an album coming out soon and that he is not allowed in the recording studio. And here Atlas was, cuddled up in a bed with his boyfriend in a house far into the woods away from any other civilization.
Nikolas hummed and cracked open an eye to look at his adorable boyfriend, smiling a little more when he felt those arms around him tighten and their legs tangled together. He shifted again so that he was on his back, bringing Atlas with him so that the smaller male was on top of him and resting on Nikolas' chest. Now both of his eyes were open, and he ran his fingers up and down the divet of his boyfriend's spine slowly. "Maybe a few minutes of down-time," he whispered, turning his head to kiss the side of Atlas' sleepily.
He opened his eyes while they shifted, smiling up at Nikolas. He turned his head to the side, placing his ear over Nikolas' heart. Atlas listened to the constant, calming heartbeat, his eventually matching. "Maybe a few more minutes longer than a few minutes?" He whispered back, smiling. He closed his eyes, almost melting a bit more to Nikolas.
Nikolas' eyes slipped closed once more, humming with a slightly bigger smile. "Sounds good," he said just as softly. For now, they could pretend that neither one of them had responsibilities. For now, they could lie here, comforted by each other's presence, and pretend that everything was fine and perfect. And it almost felt like that with Atlas here with Nikolas. He didn't know what possessed Nikolas to pull Atlas on top of him, which was something he usually wouldn't do due to personal reasons, but he was strangely fine with this. This was okay. He draped an arm across the small of the other male's back and continued to run his fingers up and down.
It was perfect. Everything was, and Atlas didn't know this place or experience could get any better. Laying on top of Nikolas, enveloped in the warm covers and his boyfriend's touch. The complete silence when the birds decided to take a break from their songs. This was obviously something Atlas would never forget, he would cherish it forever. Not being judged for his habits or what he likes was a great feeling for him. He was constantly judged, even by his manager, and recently it had gotten really bad comments from haters. He frequently takes breaks from social media and he never reads comments anymore because so many people send hate to him. But Nikolas, he never did anything of the sort to Atlas. He noticed that Nikolas sometimes likes his habits and that makes Atlas feel loved and appriciated more than he has in a very very long time.
The fingers running over Atlas' back moved to dig through his hair, feeling the soft strands tug back but also give way. Ryker and Kit were likely here already, all gathered somewhere with Tess and waiting for him. Atlas had to deal with the consequences of Nikolas' involvement in his career, and also figure out what he was going to do from there. He had a studio to go to, thanks to Nikolas' invitation—even if the twins had no idea about that arrangement—but it was all up to Atlas. So many responsibilities, so many things to do, and yet…
Lying here, with his boyfriend on his chest and at his favorite place, Nikolas couldn't help but want to savor this, to prolong it for as long as possible. He wanted to spend time with Atlas, properly. He wanted to introduce him to his friends, to show him a little bit of his life and give him something to be happy about. He wanted to keep the stress of his job away from him. Unrealistic, he knew, but it was good to imagine, for now, to pretend that everything was as perfect as it felt.
Atlas would be so much more than happy to just stay with Nikolas like this all day… if he wasn't hungry. The last thing they ate were the pastries at the cafe, and that was definitely a while ago. "Hmmm do you have any food here?" He mumbled, giggling a little. He tilted his head and rested his chin on Nikolas' chest so he could look at the man.
Nikolas chuckled and continued to comb his fingers through Atlas' hair. "Duh. It's all in the kitchen, nothing fancy. Lots of pop-tarts, though. I have a sweet tooth." He smiled gaze down at the adorable man on his chest. Waking up with him had definitely started out his day on a very good note, especially with the soft kiss on his neck and the cuddles he had received all night.
"Perfect, I have a sweet tooth too," Atlas said softly. He set his hands on the bed and scooted himself up so his face was closer to Nikolas'. He placed a soft, long kiss on Nikolas' lips, his hands cupping the sides of Nikolas' cheeks. He smiled and looked into Nikolas' eyes for the first time that day, of course, they were beautiful. It was something Atlas attributed to Nikolas, never seeing that silver color in anyone elses eyes.