Who: Lita Singh and Nick Choi. Where: Lita's house. What: Questions are asked and declarations are made. When: (Backdated) Lita's birthday, 4/2/2020, night.
It took us a while With every breath a new day With love on the line We've had our share of mistakes But all your flaws and scars are mine
And just like that All I breathe All I feel You are all for me I'm still falling for you...
Shopping had been done, dinner had been eaten and Lita’s haul from Clothes Encounter had been deposited upstairs and now Nick was elbow deep in suds as he cleaned the last of the dishes. Today was Lita’s day, he had made that more than clear from the moment her eyes had opened that morning. While it wasn’t a trip to some new place, he hoped it had been just as good. Glancing over his shoulder he noted that Lita looked happy, so he could only assume that she was. The fact of the matter was Nick wanted her to know down to her very core that this year and every year following it he had plans to make her birthday a big deal -- or as big a deal as he could make it while not having to resort to eating ramen for the next six months.
“You know I never agreed with the way house elves were treated in Harry Potter, but I find I wouldn’t mind having one to do tasks like this,” Nick remark with a laugh. “Or really I mean I wouldn’t hate magical powers so all I needed to do was wave a wand and voila things are done.” He had angled himself away from the sink slightly so that he could meet Lita’s gaze. “But cooking you dinner and doing the dishes are totally worth it if you enjoyed your birthday.”
“Even though you are severely overestimating my knowledge on nerd culture,” Lita countered in a teasing tone. “Even I can tell you are casting aspersions on my domestic prowess.” It was no secret that Nick did a lot of chores around the Singh/Reed household that the two actual housemates tended to let slide. Even though he didn’t pay rent (much to Torrie’s chagrin) Nick had become as much a fixture in the house as Torrie and Lita themselves…a fact that Lita had become increasingly fixated on in the past few weeks. For someone who had spent a lifetime luxuriating in her alone time, Lita had started to loathe the nights she and Nick slept apart, as few and as far between as they were. Somehow, without her really realizing until she was smack dab in the middle of it, Nick had become as much her home as the four walls and roof they stood under.
“What? No, there was no casting of anything in that statement. I wouldn’t dream of doing that, babe,” Nick might have been a little bit more domestic than both Lita or Torrie, but that didn’t mean he would ever make a comment about that -- he liked having and keeping his girlfriend. “It was just your nerdy boyfriend complaining about the lack of magic.” Nick was grinning by this point, though he wasn’t much of a cook he had his go-to meals. Doing this for Lita, cooking dinner and doing the dishes, it wasn’t too far off what he often did in the mornings when he stayed here. “Plus, I look pretty damn good in an apron,” he motioned towards the red gingham apron he wasn’t even entirely sure where it had come from -- it wasn’t Lita or Torrie’s style, or at least he didn’t think it was.
“It’s a very sexy look,” Lita agreed with a smirk, setting down her wine glass. She stood up from the table, crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Nick from behind. She rested her cheek against his back, listening to his heartbeat, feeling the rise of his chest in unison with hers. Lita felt warm and full and so happy that it almost felt like a high; it was the best birthday she had had in...well, probably ever. The Lita of old would have scoffed at the idea that a quiet night with her boyfriend could trump all the lavish and opulent birthday parties of her past but she was an entirely different person than she was back then. Dancing the night away with acquaintances, strangers, and hangers-on had never felt as good as she felt right now. What she and Nick had was real and special and Lita sure as shit didn’t intend to squander it.
A content kind of hum was the only response Nick had for a moment while Lita settled against him and he continued to finish up the last of the dishes. Moments like this were the kind he craved, no words needed to be spoken between them, they just knew how the other felt. It was the kind of solid relationship he had always felt like his parents had had, but one he hadn’t ever fully pictured for himself. But now he had it and he was going to be determined to hang onto Lita for as long as she would have him, which with each passing day he hoped was forever. “You know I can make anything look good,” Nick said in what was a mildly amusing attempt at an egotistical statement. “I’m just that awesome.” Again the words sounded funny coming from him, but they were state to elicit a laugh from Lita more than anything else.
“Maybe I can make up for all this house-elving you’re doing by taking you out to that new Tex-Mex place that just opened?” Lita shifted, moving her head to rest her chin on Nick’s shoulder as she surveyed his progress with the dishes. “Maybe on Tuesday? I think we’ll probably be done testing out all those new lacy underthings of mine you bought me on our shopping spree by then.”
Lita pressed a kiss to her boyfriend’s neck and tightened her hold around him.
“First, I don’t need you to make up for this,” Nick waved soapy hands down at the last of the dishes. “Secondly, I cannot wait to cycle through all the things you bought today," he grinned and while he didn't exactly say that he had taken her there in hopes of seeing her in any of her purchases, Nick also couldn't claim it hadn't been partially self-serving or a hope that he had had.
"And the Tex-Mex place sounds great, just probably not on Tuesday,” he turned his head enough to look sideways at Lita. “Liv and I will be in Minnesota,” and then a thought struck him. “Shit, did I forget to tell you that?” Things on the Minnesota front had been such a whirlwind after he had received confirmation that his parents and family were still alive, that Nick couldn’t put it past himself to forget to clue his girlfriend in on that. The expression he wore now was tinged with guilt.
For a split second, Lita’s eyes narrowed in mild annoyance that Nick failed to mention he’d be going away for a few days...until she realized the enormity of what what a visit like this would mean for him and for Liv. What could potentially be a happy reunion for her boyfriend and his family might be a less enjoyable experience for his protege, from what Lita could glean about Liv’s family life over the years. Her expression softened as she moved out from behind him. She picked up a towel, stood next to him, and started to dry the dishes Nick had placed in the drainboard. It was easier to traverse tricky, emotional areas of conversation if she could keep her hands busy.
“You certainly did forget,” Lita said, though not unkindly. She picked up a wet, clean dish, dried it, and placed it back in the cupboard. She repeated the process again before she continued.
In that moment Nick felt like the absolute worst boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. How could he have gotten so caught up in everything that he forgot to tell his girlfriend? The woman he loved, the woman who he saw himself spending the rest of his life with? God. First he had damaged his relationship with Olivia with the whole Torrie ordeal and now he had completely spaced out telling one of the most important people in his life that he was leaving the state? Could he blame this slip up on stress? Nick supposed he could, but that felt like a cop out.
“Shit,” Nick breathed out, his progress with the dishes stilled as he glanced at Lita. “I’m sorry,” it felt like the the only words he could say, because anything else was an excuse and Lita deserved better than that. “It happened so quickly, but that doesn’t mean it excuses the fact I forgot to tell you.”
“It's okay,” Lita replied; and it was actually was. If she was the Lita of old, or if she were with someone else, Lita might wonder if not inviting her along or not telling her about the trip meant something; that he was hiding something from her, or that he was embarrassed to be seen with her. But this was now, and this was Nick, and Lita knew there was no ill will in leaving her behind or in the dark. This was something he and Olivia needed to do on their own and had likely been organized in haste. Lita could understand that, even if she'd miss him like crazy while he was gone.
“How do you feel about going back home?” Unlike Nick, Lita had never had the desire to go back to her hometown and check to see if her parents had made it out of the outbreak alive. It wasn’t as if she hated them or anything. She just never really knew them. No matter how much money they threw at her or material possessions they showered her with, the distance and neglect the Singh’s exacted throughout her formidable years hadn’t exactly endeared Lita to them and she’d never once considered searching them out. For Nick, on the other hand, going back to where he grew up and potentially reconnecting with his family was a huge deal.
“Scared, excited, nervous,” Nick knew the list could go on and on. Even if the database had said his parents were alive, what if he got there and the database was wrong? What if his family wasn’t as intact as he thought it was? There were so many ‘what ifs’ that swirled around in his mind. “I know my parents are alive, my brother and sister also, but what if the information is wrong? What if I get there and it isn’t what I expect?” He didn’t even touch on his concerns about Olivia’s meeting with her parents, a meeting he was almost certain would not be the happy reunion that his own would be. “Honestly, I didn’t think going back to Minnesota would feel so scary….”
“I know it’s probably something you and Liv need to do on your own but you know I would’ve gone with you if you wanted me to,” she murmured; it wasn’t an accusation or callout. It was an earnest, quiet offer of support uttered with softness Lita hadn’t realised she had been capable of.
Nick stopped his task of washing the dishes completely then, turning away from the sink and towards Lita, his hands reaching out and pulling her into a hug. “I know,” he murmured against her hair, “God, that is something I never doubted,” Nick continued while he pulled back just enough to peer down at her. “And I want to take you to Minnesota, I want my parents to meet the woman I love,” he paused. “But this trip isn’t just about me and I need to mend things with Olivia, and going, just her and I, that was the only way I could think of to start that process.” Never once as he was speaking did Nick realize he had in that moment confessed that he loved Lita, the word had come out so easily and naturally that it didn’t dawn on him.
It wasn’t until a few moments had passed that the realization struck Nick, and in that moment he waited with what felt like bated breath for Lita’s reaction. All the while trying to ignore the panic that was snapping at his heels, worried he had said it too soon, that maybe she wasn’t ready to hear it.
Lita almost hadn’t heard it. Nick had said he loved her like he said a lot of things. The same tone, the same inflection, uttered in complete truth and unabashed affection. Things like “I made you coffee” and “you look nice today,” and “let me do that for you” were all said to Lita in same tender, matter-of-fact way. Had he been telling her he loved her all this time? Every single day, in small ways, for months now? Lita thought she would be scared, that she’d run away if someone had ever told her that they actually and truly loved her. Lita had grown into a full fledged adult knowing that people loved what she looked like, loved how she looked on their arm, loved what she could do for them, loved what she represented and loved what she could buy for them. She knew this about people and about herself and had made her peace with it; maybe even reveled in it. Save for a scant few friends, Lita had accepted that she was more or less unlovable. And yet, Nick had said he loved her and it didn’t make Lita want to run. It made her want to hear it again.
“Then we will go to Minnesota,” Lita repeated, pressing a soft kiss against Nick’s lips. She pulled back from his embrace slightly to look into Nick’s handsome, if slightly panicked, face. Even though her heart was beating like mad, Lita felt inexplicably calm. “And you will introduce me to your parents and I will tell them all the great things their son has done for so many people, and for me. I will tell them how much I love you and how happy you make me.”
There was no stutter or hesitation in Lita’s voice. She loved Nick and it was as natural and effortless as anything she’d ever said or done in her entire life.
Every part of him that had mentally been freaking out about finally telling Lita he loved her settled down as her lips pressed against his. She hadn’t ran. Not only had she not ran, but Nick was certain his heart stopped for a moment and then felt like it might explode from happiness when she said those very same words about him. “You make me so goddamn happy too,” Nick murmured as he slid his arms around Lita’s waist and pulled her in close. “So we’re doing this now? Saying I love yous and planning to meet the parents?” A grin settled on his features, for all their effort in the beginning to keep things casual, Nick couldn’t help but wonder how life might have gone differently if they had attempted they were good for each other long ago.
“Seems that way,” Lita replied, returning his smile with a nervous but excited grin of her own. The idea of meeting Nick’s parents was scary, to say nothing about letting all their feelings just hang out there, but if Lita knew anything she knew that Nick would always be there to catch her if she stumbled.
It was a good feeling, knowing that they were on the same page. Even if laced through that was the nervousness of it all and the newness. This, all of this, it was a big deal for both of them and Nick wasn’t about to ignore that. It didn’t stop him from being himself though and making his next comment either. “Next are we going to decide to move in together?” His grin was still in place. “I mean, I practically live here anyway.” Nick paused a beat and then just because he could, he leaned in and whispered. “By the way, I love you,” in Lita’s ear.
“Uh…” Lita’s eyebrows shot up under her bangs as she looked away, suddenly exceedingly interested in a spot somewhere over Nick’s shoulder. She bit her lip and picked at an imaginary piece of lint on his shirt. “Funny you should say that. I, uh, sort of had a conversation with Torrie about this very same thing awhile ago. I had thinking about asking you if you wanted to move some of your stuff in. And by some of it, I mean all of it.”
Nick’s eyebrows rose in surprise as Lita’s response sunk in. While he had been sincere with his words earlier, he had in fact not expected this reply. Still, there was no ignoring the fact that he was pleased as hell about it. Pleased, but could also sense that Lita wasn’t done yet, so instead of giving a reply, Nick let her continue to say what she needed to say.
Lita’s personal space and material possessions were very important to her. Asking Nick to move in with her was somehow just as nerve wracking and scary as admitting she was in love with him, if not more so.
“She knows about the dogs and is cool with them. They’ll have to learn to stay off the furniture but that’s more about me than her. I moved my winter stuff to the hall closet to make room for your clothes in my bedroom closet. I mean, our bedroom closet. I mean, our potential shared bedroom closet. Because I’m realizing that you actually haven’t agreed to it yet. Do you? Want to? Move in? Like you said, you practically live here anyway.”
Lita knew she was having a weird sort of stream of consciousness monologue but the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she was that Nick didn’t already live there. They had wasted so much time being apart and denying their feelings for one another that Lita wanted their life together to start, like, yesterday.
After he was certain Lita was done, that she had said what she needed to -- and yes he had followed every bit of it. Nick sought out Lita’s hand with his own and gave her’s a squeeze. “Like you even need to ask,” Nick replied with a grin that practically broke his face. “Of course I want to, hell, I would have moved in that first week we were together if you’d have let me,” he gushed, unashamed and unconcerned about what Lita might think of him for having wanted to move so quickly. “And you must really love me if you’re willing to have Runt and Holly around all the time.” Nick tacked on with a smirk before he ducked his head and captured Lita’s mouth in a gentle and quick kiss.
This. Saying I love you, moving in together, all of it. Was exactly the sort of life Nick hadn’t ever been certain he would have. His romantic track record had never been that great, but now looking back he wondered if that was because he had never been with the right person. Everything just clicked with Lita. While he might have been cheesy, he felt like they were two puzzle pieces that just fit together perfectly. Sure, they had had years where they fought against that fact, ignored it or refused to see it. Despite all of that though, here they were.
“So tell me, just how much bribing did you have to do to convince Torrie to agree to this?” Nick finally asked with a smirk. “Wait, did you try and reason with her that a homemade breakfast might become a regular thing if I was living here permanently?”
“I think it was the sharing of the bills more than the promise of bottomless coffee and endless pancakes that won her over,” Lita admitted. “But I’m sure cooking the occasional morning meal wouldn’t hurt. But she’s on board, and so am I and so are you. So when you get back from Minnesota, we’ll move you in.”
“Of course it was,” Nick chuckled, his grin nearly splitting his face as he continued. “Bright and early the very next day I’ll be here with a moving truck.” Considering the unknown nature of his trip to Minnesota, he found this might be something to look forward to to relieve the tension from that.
Lita beamed before capturing Nick’s mouth in another kiss. She practically hummed with contentment and pleasure. Her hands drifted to from Nick’s shoulders to his belt buckle, which she began to undo as their kisses became urgent and feverish.
For a split second the memory of how they christened his new place flickered to mind, but Nick chased it away -- the last thing they needed as Torrie to revoke his move in status because she found them going at in in the kitchen. Still, it didn’t change the intensity of the kiss, but it did have Nick pulling away after a couple of seconds, because if he didn’t he was going to throw caution to the wind. With his forehead pressed against Lita’s, Nick let his breathing steady as the enormity of what they just agreed to sunk in.
He was going to move in with Lita.
“I love you Nicholas,” she murmured, slowly pulling him by his belt loops toward the stairs. “How about we go to our bedroom so I show you just how much?”
“God, I love you too, Lalita” Nick replied, “So damn much.” He tacked on as one hand found one of hers, though he didn’t disrupt their forward movement towards the stairs. “I think I would like that a whole damn lot,” Nick murmured with a grin as he pulled her in close at the bottom of the stairs and kissed her. “Plus, what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets.”