Nick Iacoletti (cookedbooks) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-05-27 09:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #june 2018, adalyn, nick, silas |
Who: Nick & Silas & Addie
When: evening, Sunday, June 10th
Where: the Rayner house
Status: complete
The sleepless weekend had really started to piss Nick off by late Saturday night -- Adalyn’s birthday was Sunday, and he’d made some romantic plans for them, but it looked like they were going to be ruined by inexplicable insomnia. He and Silas had conspired on a surprise for her, and he’d really been looking forward to it, so it was a huge bummer all of Saturday night ... until sleep finally came in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Nick had woken up early Sunday afternoon feeling rested and rejuvenated and so ready to spoil his girl.
He’d already told Addie that they would have to raincheck their plans, but as soon as he was up and showered, he was texting with Silas. Since everybody had gotten to sleep, he was game to do what they’d planned for Addie, so the two of them set a time for Nick to show up to surprise her. He was practically giddy as he got ready and eventually went out to run a few errands. It wouldn’t play out exactly how he’d pictured it all, but they could at least surprise her on her birthday, that was what counted.
The sun was going down as Nick pulled up into the Rayner’s driveway. He hoped Addie didn’t have any reasons to look outside before they were ready, but he couldn’t control everything. Nick shot Silas a text to say he was there, then climbed out of the car and hastily grabbed a few things out of the back seat -- a vase with a dozen red roses, a cute shiny birthday balloon, and some cupcakes. It wasn’t a fancy candlelit dinner, but it was something. Once his arms were full, he hurried to the front door so Silas could sneak him in, already grinning.
Silas had done a good job of distracting Addie and even Edgar was in on it, though he opted to let the young people do their thing and watch TV in his room during the small celebration. It did make for a perfect excuse to send Addie upstairs to help Edgar with some things, giving Silas time to set things up with Nick. He hurried to the front door as soon as she'd gone up the stairs, grinning back at Nick when he opened the door. What a catch, Silas thought, and he could only imagine having a boyfriend this attentive and sweet. "We have a few minutes," he said in a hushed voice, even if he knew Addie couldn't hear them from upstairs. "Dad has spontaneously and inexplicably become technologically impaired and will keep her occupied with sorting out his TV." He tittered and waved Nick to come inside, offering to take some of the things he was carrying.
Nick laughed quietly and handed the cupcakes over to Silas. He still had yet to meet the elder Mr. Rayner, though he’d been thrilled to hear about him waking up when Addie had told him about it. There would eventually be a ‘meet the boyfriend’ dinner, he was sure, but tonight was just about Addie. “Well ain’t that convenient,” Nick said, his cheeks still bunched up under his beard. “Be sure to give him my thanks. Now uh, where’s the piano again?” He glanced around the foyer. He’d been to the Rayner house many times now, of course, but he and Addie tended to only occupy her bedroom or the kitchen, so he’d forgotten where the piano was in the house. He hadn’t purchased a big gift for his girl or anything, he’d wanted to give her something else instead, and serenading her while her brother played accompaniment was the best idea Nick had come up with.
"Follow me," Silas said with a sweeping gesture with his free hand, then closed the door behind Nick as he entered and headed inside the house. He'd always been aware their house was fairly grand for a house not located in Overlook but so much of that had to do with the family business. Still, not everyone had a beautiful sitting room with a piano and wall-to-wall shelves full of books. That was where he led Nick, setting the plate of cupcakes down on the dining room table. "I'm so glad I'm not rusty," he admitted with a grin. "I would be if it wasn't for my penchant to play every piano in sight when I get drunk." He gave Nick an appreciative smile. "And you've got some pipes on you. You ready for this?"
Nick found a good spot to place the vase of roses with the balloon tied to it. It was probably a little childish to get a grown ass woman a shiny birthday balloon, but he knew Addie and he was sure she would appreciate it. Honestly, he had a feeling she was going to lose her shit in the best way over all of this, and he was more than a little excited to see it. “Hey, if that’s the worst thing you do when you’re drunk, I’d say you’re doin’ pretty well,” he said with a warm smile back at Silas. “It sounded great on our last run through. But yeah man, I’m so ready. Are you gonna go get her?”
Silas replied with a grin and headed out of the room, jogging halfway up the stairs to holler at Addie. "Can you come down for a sec?" he yelled when she replied and hoped he wouldn't have to go up there to persuade her to drop what she was doing. Thankfully Edgar was on his side in this so he would urge her to go and insist he was okay now. Just like they'd planned. Of course, planning around a person with a will of her own could get tricky but Addie was at least not prone to surprising and annoying behavior so they had that going for them. Once Silas heard her leave the room, he darted back to where Nick was and waited to hear her footsteps on the stairs. "In here!" At this point she might suspect something was up but that was okay, it would still be a fun surprise.
While Addie was disappointed at not seeing Nick on her birthday, she had completely understood when he texted about postponing. The weekend had been horrible and Addie had been beside herself, trying to sleep while simultaneously worrying about her dad being able to sleep. Everyone needed rest, including her. She was feeling much better when she woke that evening and rather than get all dolled up for a birthday dinner, she pulled on leggings and a t-shirt before whipping her tangle of hair up into a messy bun. Spending the evening recovering from the insomnia and eating pizza with her dad and brother would be almost as good as being with Nick.
When Silas called her from downstairs, Addie was trying to explain to her father how to pull up the streaming services. He seemed utterly clueless about the entire thing, but as soon as Silas's voice reached them, Edgar had grabbed the remote from her and pulled up "the Netflix" without issue. It had taken her aback, but then he was shooing her out of the room, insisting he could find the Queer Eye man show himself.
Leaving him to it, Addie headed downstairs, thinking Silas wanted to know what she wanted on her pizza. But then he called her into the sitting room and Addie approached cautiously, half expecting him to jump out and scare her the way he used to when they were kids.
"I swear to Hades if you're trying to scare me on my birthday I'm going to shave your head when you fall asleep tonight," Addie warned before peeking around the corner into the sitting room. That was when she saw Nick and Silas there and all fear of potential terror was gone. Of course she saw the balloon and flowers but she was more excited to see Nick and Addie ran over to him to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "I thought you were going to be sleeping all night," Addie said, lifting her face to kiss him properly.
Nick had to bite his lip not to laugh over Addie’s threat, but he managed to keep quiet until she came in and spotted him. He grinned and caught her in his arms, squeezing her and lifting her off her feet for a second before he kissed her hello. “And miss your birthday? Fuck that,” he answered as he pulled back, flashing her another bright smile. Nick moved to take Addie by the shoulders and gently guided her over toward the sitting room couch. “Now you sit here, those are for you, obviously,” he said, nodding at the vase full of roses. “Me and Silas have a surprise for you.”
The joy was contagious and Silas half wished Edgar had joined them for this. He didn't let it dampen the mood though, maybe he would join them later, for now he had a song to play so he strode to the piano and loosened the buttons on his sleeves before rolling them up. "You are going to love this," he told her before flexing his fingers. "F-major, adagio. Let's go." For how much his piano lessons had annoyed him sometimes as a kid, he was thankful for them as an adult and it had been a long time since he and Addie had played music together here in this room. He could say with certainty that they had never done that with a guy serenading Addie as well so the experience was both a little nostalgic as well as brand new.
Addie eyed both men suspiciously, but sat, resting her hands dutifully in her lap. Watching Silas sit at the piano to play made her smile widen, however, because it suddenly clicked that Nick was going to sing for her. Or at least she hoped he would. It reminded her of their first date, when they sang karaoke and then spent the night together in his room at Juniper. The night had definitely taken a turn for the better and Addie's gaze shifted from Silas to Nick, aware that she was about to be serenaded by her boyfriend for her birthday and it was the best gift she could have gotten.
Nick really hoped he would be able to stop smiling enough to sing. Addie looked beautiful even in her comfy clothes and messy hair, and part of him just wanted to flop on her and make heart eyes. He was a little nervous, as this was different than singing karaoke, but he hoped she would love it anyway. He went and stood next to the piano, clearing his throat a bit before Silas started to play. Nick started to sing on cue, grateful that his voice was steady and clear as he gazed at his girlfriend. “Wise men say, only fools rush in ... but I can’t help, falling in love with you ...” They hadn’t said they loved each other yet in their relationship, but Nick felt it, and considering their fun history with songs, he thought this might be the perfect delivery system for that first time.
Addie loved hearing Nick sing. She already knew he had a great voice from karaoke, and when they would sing in the car. Listening to him sing to her now felt different somehow, in the best way. Especially given his song choice. Addie was definitely aware that she loved him, even if she hadn't said the words yet. And she had always been pretty sure that he loved her too, but past experiences held her back from being the first to admit it. It was probably juvenile but she didn't want to scare off Nick by feeling too much too soon. Of course, now she was just bursting at the seams, listening to Nick sing, expressing how he felt in the best imaginable way possible. Addie was smiling so much her cheeks were starting to feel sore, but she didn't care.
It took effort not to grin at her in return like some sort of loon, and after a moment Nick had to close his eyes to get more into the song rather than staring at Addie. Silas played beautifully, and all of the practice Nick had been doing on his own paid off as he made his way through the song and stayed in key. As they neared the end, Nick moved away from the piano and closer to his girl, holding his hand out to her as he sang the last couple of lines. “Take my hand, take my whole life too ... For I can’t help, falling in love with you ...” He thought about dropping down to one knee just to be closer to her since she was seated, but didn’t want to go that far just in case she got the idea he was proposing. One step at a time.
Addie took his hand when it offered it to her and her smile widened, if that were even possible. It was such a romantic song and she loved it even more, hearing it from Nick's mouth. When he finished, Addie immediately stood and pushed up on her toes to give him a deep, lingering kiss. "That was so beautiful," she murmured. And it made her want to drag Nick upstairs to her bedroom to give him a proper thank you. But one thing at a time. "I love you too." It felt right to say it now because Nick wouldn't have chosen that song to sing to her if he didn't love her, right?
Nick was more than ready to embrace her when she stood up, holding her close while he kissed her back. Normally he would’ve held back a little for Silas’s sake, but the moment really just called for a real kiss. “Happy birthday, baby,” Nick murmured, smiling as he lightly butted their noses together. “I love you.” He’d sung the words, but they deserved to be said out loud, too. Hearing them from her made him happier than he’d even anticipated, even though he hadn’t doubted that she felt that way. Nick kissed Addie one more time, briefly lifting her off of her feet, then let her go enough to half-turn and look over at Silas. “Thank you man, you played beautifully,” he told him. “Actually made me sound good.”
Silas couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt but it was joyous too, for his sister's sake. He smiled warmly over at them and then closed the piano before getting up. "Hey, that was all you," he told Nick. "Would have been just as beautiful without the piano." He meant that too, having that accompaniment was just enrichment, not a necessity. "Happy birthday, Addie," he told his sister, though he'd already done so earlier in the day. It just felt right after being part of her present.
Addie pulled away from Nick long enough to walk to her brother to give him a hug. It meant just as much to her that he was willing to play for Nick and give Addie this kind of gift. "I love you too," she told him, pressing a noisy kiss to his cheek. "Thank you." It felt like things had turned around for her, save for the problem with her other brother. Her dad was awake and all right. Silas was home and she had Nick. It almost felt too good to be true. "I won't make you stick around or anything, because I'm going to be making out with my boyfriend for a while."
Silas tittered at the kiss. "And I love you," he told her, glancing over at Nick. "Both of you are amazing." It was sweet she'd actually found someone weird enough to talk to about embalming over dinner, Nick was fascinated by all the horror and weirdness and it was strange to think he might one day become part of the family enough to find out about Elijah. Maybe not though, the thought alone gave Silas little chills which he ignored in favor of the moment. "I'm eating one of your cupcakes and bringing another to dad, think of it as a bribe to leave you two lovebirds alone. Just don't get naked down here in case he wants to come say hi. I can't promise I'll be able to stop him."
It was sweet to see them together and Nick just couldn't seem to stop smiling. He’d liked Silas already, but this whole thing made Nick feel even more bonded to him. He wasn’t sure what his and Addie’s future held yet, but Nick thought he would be pretty lucky to have Silas as a brother in law. “Promise we’ll keep clothes on down here,” he said with a laugh. Granted, they might not stay downstairs for very long, but they could behave until they were safely in Addie’s room, at least. Otherwise that was not the kind of first impression that Nick wanted Edgar Rayner to have of him.
"I promise, I'm not going to do anything that might send dad back into a coma," Addie said, pulling away from Silas so he could grab some cupcakes to take upstairs with him. With her arms free of Silas now, she immediately went back to clinging to Nick. "I promised dad pizza too, so we should order that." Even though it was her birthday she wanted to make sure her dad and brother were taken care of too. Once she knew they would be eating and all of that, she would feel more comfortable disappearing into her room with Nick for the night.
Silas gave her an amused and exasperated smile. That was classic Addie, always putting others ahead of her own needs and Silas knew exactly where that all came from and how he had the same tendencies as well. They were a healthy and happy family for the most part but all the loss had made them so careful of each others' feelings and needs that they all kept bending backwards to make sure the others were happy. "Addie," he said. "I'll handle the pizza, eat a cupcake and kiss on your boyfriend. I'll let you know when the food is here and you can eat with us or by yourselves or whatever you want."
Nick thought he should have foreseen that he would be staying a while and brought food along with him, but he’d been in a rush to get everything else together -- and a little nervous about singing his feelings to Addie. Pizza sounded good eventually, but he wasn’t in any rush to eat, his stomach already full of warm happy feelings. His girl was definitely a caretaker though, so Nick just perched on the arm of the couch and watched the two of them sort it out, happy and amused.
Addie never thought too deeply about why she tried to "mother" Silas and her dad as much as she did. But deep down she knew it was because she was afraid of driving them away, or losing them. After what happened to Elijah, and losing her mom, Addie tended to cling a bit to her brother and father, something she was sure had led Silas to moving away. Rationally she knew that wasn't true, but the feeling was still hard to get rid of. But he was home now and Addie just wanted him to stay home. "Okay, thank you," she told him, pressing another quick kiss to his cheek before finally letting him go. Turning to Nick, Addie lifted a brow. "Want to go find a dark corner to kiss in for a while?"
He stood up and reached to take Addie’s hand, smiling crookedly at her. “You know all the dark corners around here, so ... lead the way,” Nick told her. It might be kind of fun to make out somewhere in the house, even though it was a funeral home, but Nick thought they’d be the most comfortable upstairs in Addie’s room. Considering there was a bed and privacy and a nearby bathroom up there and all. But it was Addie’s birthday, so he would go wherever she wanted. Nick patted Silas’s shoulder as he let his petite girlfriend lead him out of the room.
While there were several places she could drag Nick to make out with him, Addie ended up leading him up the stairs towards her room. That was the ultimate private place, after all, and once they were inside, Addie closed the door quietly before slipping her arms around Nick to pull him close. "That was the sweetest thing. No one has ever sung to me before. At least, not like that." Addie pressed a kiss to his lips. "And thank you for the cupcakes and everything else. It was the best way to end a really sucky weekend." Not being able to sleep had been a higher level of awful but now it felt like all of that was behind them.
Nick was happy to be somewhere private, as much as he appreciated Silas’s participation in this birthday surprise. They’d pulled it off flawlessly, he thought, considering the circumstances. He draped his arms around Addie in return and smiled warmly after the kiss. “You’re welcome,” he murmured back to her. “I’m glad we finally got some damn sleep so we could do it for you. I was so bummed, thinking we’d have to cancel. I wanted to say I love you on your birthday.” And he’d succeeded at that, which was a nice boost. Nick kissed her softly again and added a quiet, “And I do.”
"It's the best present I've ever gotten on my birthday," Addie told him. "Totally worth two days of insomnia." Smiling, Addie slid her hands up and down his back slowly. "And I love you too. I was just afraid to say it. Well, maybe not afraid, just... I didn't want to scare you away." In her mind, Nick was still too good to be true. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far she had been deliriously happy and that was always something to be a little apprehensive about in Point Pleasant. Not to mention Addie's not so stellar history with guys. But Nick was different and Addie was just blissfully happy.
It made Nick feel a bit giddy to hear that it was the best present, that was a pretty high bar. His whole core tingled happily when Addie said she loved him back, and he smiled as he lightly butted their foreheads together. He was going to have to get used to hearing it now, he supposed. Letting his hands slip down her back and over her cute little ass, he swayed them gently. “It was scary for me too,” he murmured. “I try to be careful with it, I know how much it means ... but I’ve never been so sure, Addie. I feel so lucky I found you.” Nick had pretty much resigned himself to permanent bachelorhood, but Adalyn had changed all that, and he’d found her in the last place he’d imagined he might find love.
It certainly was a high bar because Addie had gotten some pretty great gifts in the past. But she had never had a guy she was in love with serenade her just to tell he loved her too. How could anyone top that? And she was glad that he had waited until he was sure, because Addie knew from experience that some people just said those three words to make another person happy. That hurt worse than never hearing it at all. She smiled and brought her hands up to cup his face. "Who would've thought you would find love at a funeral home? I guess it tracks with how this town works, huh?" And she was more than glad for it now.
Nick laughed a bit and dipped his chin to kiss the inside of one of Addie’s wrists. “Definitely not what I expected, but it’s pretty perfect for me too,” he said. Not that he thought of himself as a morbid person really, in spite of what he’d built his career on, but he did have a real appreciation for the dark and macabre aspects of the world. Plus he had a great respect for the services that Addie and her family provided, it was so necessary but overlooked most of the time. “It would feel perfect no matter where we were, though,” he added in a murmur, eyes drifting over her face with open adoration. “You make this place feel so much like home, sometimes I forget about the ‘funeral’ part.”
Addie kissed him again. "Thank you," she murmured. She had grown up in this house and to her, the funeral aspect of it was as much a part of her as anything else. Not everyone understood that, and of course, some people would think it creepy or morbid, but it was what it was. Maybe she had gotten lucky that the guy who fell in love with her was a writer of the supernatural. That he believed too and could handle the "creepier" side of her job. He never seemed to mind it when she started rambling about it, gory details and all. Addie ran her hands to the back of his head where her fingers slid through his hair. "Are you hungry? We can wait for pizza... unless you want to just stay in here for a while." Once she got him naked it was going to be really hard to let him out of her bed, even for food.
He hadn’t really expected to fall in love at all, especially not after Madison, so falling in love with Addie had been a surprise to Nick. But she’d fit him like a glove -- in more than just a sexy way -- and he was hard-pressed to remember being this happy in a relationship before. So yes, he wanted to make her birthday special, sing to her, tell her he loved her, make her happy in every way he could, and it felt like they were just getting started. Chuckling, Nick dipped down to grab Addie’s ass to heft her up to carry, then started walking toward the bed. “I believe some making out was promised,” he said with a little half-grin. “I’m only hungry for you right now.” They would eat eventually, he was sure, just ... later. In the meantime Nick had some more carnal gifts for the birthday girl.