Nick Iacoletti (cookedbooks) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2023-03-04 19:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | #july 2018, nick, nick x silas, silas |
Who: Silas and Nick
When: mid-morning, Monday, July 9th
Where: Rayner Funeral Home
Status: complete
Nick had driven himself to the airport, so there was no need for Addie to pick him up on Sunday afternoon, but as he sped back toward Point Pleasant, he’d kind of wished he’d let her take him, just so he could see her faster. His dealings with The Foundation had gone more smoothly than he’d even dared to hope for -- he’d been thoroughly reminded of his NDA and what would happen if they found out he broke it, he’d debriefed them on what he knew about Point Pleasant, he’d even been interviewed by a psychologist ... Nick could only assume that was to reassure the people in charge that he wasn’t losing his faculties or anything, that their secrets would be safe with him. He must have proven himself, because they’d allowed him to sign release forms and even worked out a small severance package for him.
He left the building feeling so relieved and happy, he’d gone straight to a jeweler and bought a ring. Nick had realized with some embarrassment that he didn’t know Addie’s ring size yet, but they’d reassured him that was common and it could be resized, and he’d worked with the lady behind the counter to make a pretty good estimate, based on comparing their hands. Nick felt like he’d picked out a good one for Addie’s tastes, and it had already burned a hole in his pocket as he’d driven home from the airport. He’d managed to keep it hidden from her while they reunited, even though the urge to propose to her right then and there had been strong. He wanted to do it right.
When Nick woke up at the Rayner’s, Addie was gone from bed, presumably to go start work. It was around mid-morning when Nick got up and put himself together to go downstairs. He wasn’t eager to go back to his apartment, this place felt much more like home these days, so he wandered down to the kitchen to find some breakfast.
Things had gone back to a status quo for Silas. Addie was happy and her relationship with Nick had not imploded after her very impromptu and premature proposal, more importantly, Edgar knew where Elijah was. He wasn't telling them where exactly but he knew he was safe and he seemed very calm about it so Silas had decided to take his word and try to relax. This meant he'd settled into a nice routine of work balanced with hanging out with some friends and having a somewhat normal life. That was all he could really ask for in Point Pleasant, though he sometimes felt that by moving back home he'd somehow put his life on pause.
He was in the kitchen when Nick suddenly showed up in the doorway, startling him a bit because he hadn't actually been aware he was back. "Oh!" he gasped, pressing his hand to his chest. "You're here! Hi, welcome back... Welcome home?" He had no idea why Nick had actually left town and it was none of his business, he was just glad he'd returned and not ghosted Addie. "How was your trip?"
Nick broke into a sunny grin when he spotted Silas, then gave a slightly apologetic wince that he’d startled him. It didn’t take long for the smile to come back though. That ‘welcome home’ rang so true in his heart. “Thanks!” Nick said as he approached the other man. His future brother in law. Nick couldn’t even tack on a ‘possible’ to that descriptor, as he was pretty damn certain now that Addie would say yes. Nick never would have thought he would be so excited by the prospect of getting married. “It was great, went perfect,” he said. He pulled Silas into a quick back-thumping hug, then grinned at him again. “You’re just the man I wanna see, actually. I’ve got something to show you.”
Silas tried to mind his own business but it had been hard not to fret after Addie's clumsy proposal to Nick. It had been so soon, so abrupt and just like her, Silas had worried this would scare Nick off. It hadn't yet at least and he seemed in great spirits so that was promising. Silas has been in a kind of a bland mood this morning, but it was impossible not to be affected by Nick's cheer and that kind of hug could brighten anyone's day. "By all means," he said with a welcoming sweep of his hand after glancing at the oven clock. Work could wait, Nick was clearly excited about something and they were practically family now.
He was sure that Silas had stuff to do -- the funeral home couldn’t really be run by one person alone -- but Nick thought this would be a pretty quick aside. He valued Silas’s opinion on Addie’s taste, and he wanted the other man’s blessing before he proposed to his sister. Nick planned to speak with Mr. Rayner as well before he popped the question, but he was already closer to Silas than his future father in law. Plus he had a feeling Silas would be excited for them, and Nick was dying to tell someone and enjoy that shared feeling of joy. He jerked his head to the side to indicate Silas should follow, then started to lead the way toward the steps to take him upstairs to Addie’s bedroom. What would hopefully soon be his bedroom too. Unless they moved out together. Nick didn’t really know the plan yet, beyond popping the question. He gestured Silas inside and closed the door behind him, then went to crouch next to his duffel bag to rummage through the few things he’d packed for his trip. “Okay, so before I give this to her, I need you to approve it,” he said, shooting Silas a grin.
Silas had yet to see what it was he was supposed to approve of, but he was already excited and he already suspected what it was. "Show me," he commanded impatiently, making grabby hands towards Nick who he felt might be stalling for dramatic effect. Silas absolutely appreciated that, but he was invested in this and if for some reason Nick was about to show him something other than a damn ring then Silas was going to flip out. It was too premature to yell 'oh thank God' with a hand on his forehead but that was how he felt; a breakup would devastate Addie, but it would also cause Silas a whole lot of grief because Nick already felt like a brother in law to him. He'd even squashed whatever sexy effects the man had because he was Addie's man now, that was how serious this felt.
Nick laughed as he found the small square box and pulled it free. He took the velvet ring box out of it and stood up, turning back to Silas to offer it out. He knew Silas already knew what it was, but Nick wanted some reassurance from the other person who knew Addie best that he’d picked a good style and stones. Nick hadn’t wanted to get her a huge diamond or anything gaudy, that wasn’t really her style, so he’d gone with a pale oval sapphire that was as close to the color of her eyes as he could get. It was set in a white gold band with some tiny diamonds on either side of the main stone. Nick thought it was pretty beautiful himself, but he wanted Silas’s opinion too. He rubbed his palms against his shorts as he watched the other man open the box. It was like getting a taste of the nerves he would surely feel when he actually proposed.
"Oh thank God," Silas sighed as he'd been holding in those words for a minute now, then he laughed. "That's amazing, she's going to flip out. I'm so glad she didn't scare you off." Nick had made a good choice with the ring too and Silas would have told him if he hadn't. He wanted his little sister to be happy and while she'd probably be too excited in the moment to feel disappointed with a gaudy ring, it would make her silently miserable down the line. "It's very tasteful, elegant. I approve." Addie's response was no mystery, she'd already proposed to Nick in a clumsy and informal way. Edgar already approved of Nick so there really were no obstacles for him to worry about. "When are you going to ask her?" Silas asked as he handed the ring back. "And where?"
Nick laughed and made a little face as Silas repeated the fear that Addie seemed to have -- that she could scare him off somehow. It was still a weird concept to him, considering how powerful his feelings were for her, but he supposed a guy who wasn’t ready for commitment could be terrified by it all. Or a guy who just wasn’t suited to her personality, he supposed, but those men had no business being with her in the first place. Nick adored her, and the only reason he hadn’t immediately said yes to her clumsy wine-drunk proposal had been the Foundation, and now that wasn’t a factor anymore. “Yes, god, I’m so glad you think so,” he said with obvious relief as he took back the ring and snapped the little box shut. He’d been more concerned with Silas approving of the ring he’d picked than approving of him in general. “Soon, I’m just not sure exactly when ... I keep going in circles in my mind on where and how, like ... I feel like she’d love a public proposal? But then some women hate that?” He wrinkled his nose, hoping for some feedback.
For some reason, Silas just thought up a comical public proposal where the flash mob dancing was actually a bunch of cartoon skeletons. Now that he was sure Addie would love and he smirked to himself as he thought about it. "You know, I think she'd love any proposal. Do a small, quiet and romantic one at the pier - or hire a fifty people dance group to propose to her all Bollywood style. I really think you'd have to work hard to go wrong with this one." No matter how Nick proposed, Addie was going to flip her shit, Silas was absolutely sure of that. Anyone who paid attention could tell how in love she was and Silas definitely paid attention. "If you go with Bollywood style then obviously I want to attend."
It was more amusing than helpful, but Nick didn’t mind. It was such a personal thing, he knew nobody could tell him how to do it right. And he was also confident that Addie would love anything he did, even if it was just some lame and simple thing after a normal dinner one night. “I’m leaning more romantic than flashy musical number, but I’ll keep you in the loop,” Nick told his future brother in law, grinning. He hadn’t exactly thought Silas would tell him he was barking up the wrong tree and to fuck off forever or anything, but it was still so nice to have the approval and support of someone else who was so close to Addie. Nick slipped the ring box into his shorts pocket and pulled Silas in for another quick hug, unable to help himself. “Fuck, man, I know I shouldn’t be nervous, and it’s probably like ninety percent excitement, but I honestly never thought I’d do this.”
Silas hugged him back whole-heartedly and smiled, faintly amused at all the nervousness though he absolutely understood. "Nah, she loves you, I can't imagine a scenario where she'd say no," he told him reassuringly but he also couldn't help but wonder if this would change things. As far as he knew, Addie hadn't told Nick the family secrets and that felt okay when he was 'just' a boyfriend. A husband was different and it was terrifying to think of someone new joining the family and finding out about the things Edgar had done - that they had all done. Maybe it would never come up, maybe Elijah would stay gone, but Silas had a feeling that wouldn't matter. It would still eat at them and Addie might end up telling Nick. How would he react? Would he understand? It was easy to be in love and be happy when everything was going well and so far, everything had been fairly easy for them, as far as he knew.
Nick naturally had no idea where Silas’s thoughts went since he was as clueless about Elijah as he’d been from the start. He couldn’t imagine anything turning him away from Addie and this family that had so wonderfully embraced him. He was just happy to hear from someone else -- someone who would know -- that Addie loved him. Nick didn’t really doubt it, it just made this decision to propose even more solid in his mind. It was definitely the right move, everything in his gut was telling him yes, now that he was completely free to run his life how he wished. “Glad you think so,” Nick replied with a chuckle. “I guess we’ll find out pretty soon, I just gotta figure out when and where and how and all that.” If he had enough patience to actually plan, that was. Nick might end up springing it on her, but he wanted to make it special, so he was going to do his best not to rush it. “I just wanna make it perfect for her, you know? She deserves that.”
"She does," Silas agreed. "And you will find the right time and right place." Any place and time would be the right time because no matter how it might go wrong, Addie was going to be ecstatic and it seemed like Nick was just like them in that he could laugh at mishaps instead of freaking out about them. "Have you told dad?" he asked curiously, wondering if he was the first to get the news or if Nick had actually gone the path of tradition and asked Edgar for Addie's hand in marriage. There was no question Edgar would say yes, it might even have amused him to be asked. Or maybe he was more into tradition than he let on, Silas wasn't so sure.
“Not yet,” Nick said with a little shake of his head. He was a little nervous about that one, though he’d gotten the impression that Edgar liked and approved of him. It was one thing to be a boyfriend, it was another to marry into the family, especially since Addie was the only daughter. “I plan on it though ... do you think I should like, ask him? Or ...? I don’t want to piss Addie off, she’s not property, but you know -- I don’t know how big on tradition Edgar is.” Silas was indeed the first to know, and not just because Nick wanted to ask him these questions -- he’d been genuinely excited to break the news to him. Nick had never had a brother before, and he’d been pretty certain he would never get married, so he’d never counted on having in-laws.
"You can ask him about the ring," Silas suggested with a little shrug and it might be a good compromise if Nick felt weird about not asking at all. "Dad's not really that kind of formal though," he added dismissively. "You don't need his permission. He'd probably love being in the loop but he'd be just as happy to hear it from Addie. I have a feeling she'll scream it off the rooftops as soon as you ask." Saying that might feel like he was trying to scare Nick away but by now, Nick knew Addie well enough to not be scared off by that kind of high level enthusiasm only Addie was really capable of.
He laughed at that mental image, a bit of a blush crossing his cheeks though he knew Silas was completely right. It was just sort of amazing to have someone in his life who was that genuinely thrilled about him as a partner. Not that Nick thought he was a bad boyfriend, he knew better, but Addie was just delightfully excitable. “Well if he won’t be offended I didn’t ask for her hand or something antiquated, I might just keep it between us,” Nick said. “I want her to be able to share the news with family too, you know?” Nick didn’t want to rob her of anything about this experience, now that he’d cleared his taste in engagement rings with her brother. She deserved to get to surprise people and wave her left hand around as much as she wanted.
There had definitely been times when Silas worried he and Addie were Too Much because he was well aware that they were both quirky and dramatic in their own special ways. Nick knew Addie in all her hyperactive glory and he loved her for it and it was crazy reassuring. "Just don't wait too long," Silas murmured with a smirk. "She'll sniff out that ring in no time if you do. Completely ruin the surprise. Yell it off the rooftops before you're ready." She might not, of course, but it was nice to joke around, especially since Nick seemed a little nervous or possibly even shy, suddenly. "She can be very perceptive, but you already knew that."
“I do, yeah, she’s sharp as a tack,” Nick said with an affectionate chuckle. He planned to head back to his apartment in an hour or two to unpack and stash the ring somewhere, then start figuring out what his plan was going to be. Nick wanted it to be soon himself, just because he was more than ready to be engaged to the love of his life. “It’ll definitely be soon, maybe next week sometime. I wanna do it right, but I’m impatient for it too.” Now who knew how long it would take them to actually get married -- weddings were much more difficult to plan than proposals, and Nick honestly had no idea if Addie would want a big fancy one or something tiny and easy. Nick would find out soon enough, he just wanted her to be happy. He grinned and squeezed Silas’s shoulder. “I’ll let you get back to it, man. Thanks for your input.” Silas probably had work to do, and Nick was starving.
Even Silas didn't know what Addie might want in the terms of a wedding, it really could go either way with her. Maybe she'd want something completely bonkers that nobody could predict and that would be par for the course for his sister so Silas was glad Nick didn't ask him what he thought. She might want to bungee jump the moment they said 'I do' and it really wouldn't surprise Silas in the least. "As long as you're aware of and at peace with marrying into crazy," he said and patted Nick's shoulder in turn as he moved to pass him. "Then we welcome you to the family."
Nick, who still didn’t know all the family secrets he would be marrying into, laughed. Besides the funeral home and Addie’s fascination with the dead and the way she rambled on about it and everything else, he really didn’t see what was so ‘crazy’ about them. But he was a man who traveled around the country deep-diving into the Weird for a living, so maybe he just had a different perspective. In any case, the Rayners were excellent people, he loved Adalyn with all his heart, and he was looking forward to officially tying their lives together.