Who: Nikolai Mironov, Ronnie Beck, and later Barrett Flintly When: August 23, evening Where: Nikolai’s apartment, then the bar probably What: Nikolai's night off, visiting the bar and then Bear's apartment Status/Rating: Incomplete; er, PG-13ish right now? >_> Let's just say R? NC-17?
Nikolai, despite his somewhat painful efforts to insert himself into the school-sanctioned social life, had studiously avoided Faction Day, not making even a brief appearance. This had been his last Friday with Alexandra before both his and her classes started, so the pair had spent the entire morning and afternoon together. It played out like most of their father-daughter days and Niko had the pink fingernails to prove it. (Somehow, she always ended up with green or blue fingernails while he ended up with pink or purple. He would swear that someone was putting her up to it.)
The evening, however, that was his alone. He loved Alexandra, probably more than he’d ever loved anything or anyone before, but everyone needed a child-free evening every once in awhile. Particularly a child-free evening that wasn’t consumed by work-related functions. Ronnie, angel that she clearly was, would be providing him with just that sort of evening.
Absently removing the sparkley pink color from his nails, Nikolai sat on his couch and stared down his daughter, face completely serious. “Sashenka, you promise to be good.”
“Papaaaa, I know I know.” Alexandra bounced on the couch, little feet swinging against the furniture, and beamed at her father. Her expression screamed ‘perfectly behaved angel.’ New parent though he was, he knew this spelled trouble. “Do you think she’ll bring me cookies? Ooh, or maybe cupcakes! Can we have a water balloon fight? Pleeeeease?”
“In the apartment? No. That’s an outside game, munchkin. You and I can have a water balloon fight tomorrow, okay?” After a few more passes at his nails with the nail polish remover-laden cotton ball, his fingers were presentable. Presentable enough anyway, as he was too preoccupied to notice the pink lingering around his cuticles. Alexandra’s pathetic pout distracted him and he shook his head authoritatively, tossing the pink bundle of cotton in the nearest trash can. “Sorry. You know the rules.”
Her mouth was open and ready to protest, when they both heard a knock at the door, and Alexandra bolted to it, arguments forgotten momentarily. “Papa. Papa, I bet that’s her! Come open the door! C’mon, c’mon!”
Normally, being a stickler for politeness when it came to his daughter, he might admonish her for the lack of ‘please,’ but just smiled over at her and stood from the couch. “All right, all right.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, Nikolai looked through the peephole and, satisfied that it was Ronnie outside, turned the handle to open the door. “Hey. Thanks for coming over tonight,” he greeted her with a gesture inviting her inside. Meanwhile, Alexandra was beside him practically shaking with excitement, broad grin on her face.