Moving in, Moving on

[Demeter]

Costica did as his brother asked. Armed with a newspaper and a pen, he went out apartment hunting. The brothers had discovered that they couldn't love in the same house without trying to kill each other. Sorin's habit of sprawling around a room offended Costica's sense of organization. He didn't even want to think about the droves of oversexed teenagers intent on seducing Sorin.

Costica, not a fan of public transportation, walked the streets of Cedar Valley. He had very specific ideas about what he wanted in an apartment. And he had the money to pay for what he wanted. The terms "poor" and "2500-year-old vampire" did not go together in his mind."

He wanted two bedrooms, at the very least, an open floorplan with large rooms, a killer view of anything, dishwasher, washer and dryer in unit. It had to be within walking distance from the museum and close to shopping and entertainment. And thick walls.

The last place he'd viewed hadn't been perfect but it had thin walls. And, even though Costica believed that nooners were an integrel part of a healthy relationship, he did not need to hear other people's healthy relationships. He really didn't need Mihail asking him why the neighbors were screaming at each other during the afternoon. He'd given the super a look and crossed out the listing for the apartment.

While he walked to his next viewing appointment, Costica didn't bother to mask his presence. If he was going to live in the area, he'd want the other Dark Beings to know of him. He was old, bordering on ancient. He was powerful and he didn't scare easily. The vampire council knew about him so Costica flaunted his presence.

He could tell that there were some bottom feeds tailing him. They probably thought that old meant feeble. He'd probably have to fry someone to prove otherwise. He'd roast someone to a crisp if they tried anything with Mihail. He'd only been in and out of the boy's life for four years but Mihail was the most important thing to him. He'd violently kill anyone who tried to harm Mihail.

Mixed in with the signatures of the bottom feeders, he could feel those who were powerful in their own rights. It was almost like they were saying "hello, I'm so-and-so. Who are you?" A few of those signatures even followed him down the street. Mixed in with those few signatures, there was one that interested him. The owner of that signature seemed more powerful then what he allowed to be felt. The signature seemed almost hesitant about getting close.

He stopped in front of a brick building and checked to see if the shiney brass numbers matched the listing. The door was propped open. Costica glanced down the seemingly empty street. "I'm going to check this place out. If you are still here when I get back, we should introduce ourselves properly."

[Shinigami]

Nicias had finally convinced himself to leave his loft styled condo for more that quick errands that dealt with necessities. He had stopped his bounty hunter and havoc starter for hire businesses after his rather nightmarish run in with "the twins," so he rarely had cause to leave his safe little home. The good thing about being able to weave illusions was that he also had the ability to mask his apartment. Anyone that was looking for him in order to do him harm would be misdirected away from his door.

He had been living off of the savings he had collected over the years, and it was enough to live off of for quite some time, but living like a coward was starting to eat away at him. Nici had never considered himself a coward before, in fact, he was quite used to danger. He still remembered the countless times he stood in the thick of the battle fields during the countless wars he'd lent a helping hand in, reveling the the chaos and mayhem he had helped to create.

While he wasn't quite ready to throw himself back into the battle fields, he figured screwing around with people at the local coffee shop for a few hours was okay. Nicias had found it quite fun after causing a teenage couple to argue and an old lady to hit a poor unsuspecting man with her purse. He had settled down a little after a group of Dark Ones entered the coffee shop. He refused to hide what he was, but he wasn't ready for any altercations quite yet either, so he made sure to keep a constant eye out for the auras of Dark Ones in the area.

It had been while on his way home that he had gotten a horrible feeling. There was a Dark One nearby his building, and he was older and more powerful than the usual lot that lived in the area. Nicias approached his building cautiously, drawing his illusions back so as to not cause any undue attention to himself just in case "the twins" had sent someone to check up on him. They hadn't so far, but that didn't mean they never would.

Just as Nicias got a good look at the man standing at the open doorway to his building, he heard the man's voice call out. He hissed internally to himself, having been caught sneaking around, but he straightened up quickly. The man was looking at the vacant apartment on the floor above his, then. It was the only one empty that he knew of in the building, and if the man was going to be potentially living so close, he may as well make sure they were on good terms.

He was not, however, going to wait around outside while this man looked around. It seemed inevitable. He'd have to let the man find his apartment, which involved lifting at least the majority of the mask he had over his home turned sanctuary. "Well, I live in the building, and I'm the only Dark One so far. If you ferreted me out this quickly, you'll be able to find my door."

[Demeter]

Costica grinned. If this apartment suited his needs, he'd be tracking down that Being's door. He wouldn't bring Mihail into a place where a potential danger lurked without investigating first. "I'll be sure to find you then," he called out, still unsure where the man lurked. He turned tail and bounded into the building.

The apartment did meet his standards. He put down a deposit and left the wander the halls in serach of Sir Presence. He found the warded door on the second floor. He politely knocked and waiting. While he waited, Costica mused that Mihail would enjoy the place. There was a small park behind the building where he could play.

When the Custos answered the door, Costica took the chance to take a nice, long look at him. And batted down the side of his mind that wanted to pounce. He, unlike his brother, didn't jump random people at the first meeting. "It looks like I might be your new, upstairs neighbor. Costica Dalca," he held out his hand, "If I get the place, I'll be moving in with my four-year-old son. That won't be a problem, will it?"

He watched the man, wondering why both apartment and him were masked the way they were. Costica's fingers itched. He wanted to know why.

***

Mihail helped Papa and Uncle Sorin by hauling Dragos to the new place. His hands clutched Dragos' tail as he pulled the blue-and-green stuffed dragon up the stairs. One step at a time, he pulled the five foot toy up the stairs. Down below, he heard a thump, followed by a string of words he wasn't supposed to say. Mihail giggled; Uncle Sorin had a potty mouth. Grandmere Audry would have washed Uncle's mouth out with oven cleaner if she'd been around.

Mihail sound down on a step. One more set of stairs and he'd be able to put Dragos in the room that was meant for him. He stood, renewed his grip and yanked on Dragos' tail. The yank sent the stuffed dragon flying and Mihail toppled over, whacking elbow and head on the hard floor. Since he was only four, Mihail did what any four year old did. His face scrunched up and he started wailing.

[Shinigami]

Nicias watched the man disappear into the building before he moved forward to trudge up to his own apartment. Getting up to the second floor wasn't much of a challenge, so he always used the stairs unless he was carrying things around with him. Nici walked up to his door without much thought it where he was going and unlocked it, stepping inside before he began lowering the ward on his door. His door could now be intentionally found by another Dark One.

He was moving things around and cleaning a few things up when he heard the knock on his door. At first it startled him, not used to people knocking. The only ones who could find his door were Gunner, Zane, and Sasha, and the three of them usually just walked in. Nicias took a breath before pulling the door open and coming face to face with the Dark One he had felt earlier.

The man on the other side of the door was quite good looking. Nicias hadn't had much of a desire to dally with other men in quite some time, but a little voice in the back of his mind tried to urge him to do so with this man. However, another voice in his mind reminded him that "dallying" with older Dark Ones could be a bad idea, but he would at least be a good neighbor. He reached out to shake the man's hand, taking note of his name and giving a welcoming smile. "I'm Nicias Ruadhain."

Nicias raised an eyebrow at Costica's next comment. He wasn't used to being asked things like that, and generally didn't care what other Dark Ones did so long as they didn't bother him. Then he realized the man probably just wanted to make sure he wouldn't bother the boy. Nici understood, he had done the same with the neighbors in Hell when Braden was young. "No, no, that won't be a problem at all. I used to be a father, myself."

***

Nicias was on his way out to run a few errands when he heard what sounded like a child crying. Wailing, to be more precise. When he got into the stairwell he was met the with sight of said child on the floor with a rather enormous stuffed dragon on the stairs. The boy didn't appear to be hurt at first glance, but he still crouched down to see if he was alright. "Hey, kiddo, you alright?"

He didn't want to scare the boy, and he wasn't sure how a little illusion would go over with the boy. Sometimes kids enjoyed it and forgot about whatever it was that had upset them, and other times it just scared them more, so he just made sure he looked relaxed and nonthreatening.

[Demeter]

Mihail sniffled as he looked up at the stranger. His head and elbow throbbed where they'd smacked against the floor. Dragos lay, face down, on the landing. Mihail gave a little whimper and, using the agile quickness that children had, clung to the man's legs. "I fell down," he mumbled against the material of the man's pants.

***

Costica took the stairs three at a time. He'd dropped his end of the mattress the second he'd heard Mihail's wailing voice. No doubt he'd catch hell from Sorin later but his elder brother was not a father. Not that he thought Sorin needed to breed. Mini-Sorins would be a plague on man kind.

Costica nearly tumbled over when he saw his little boy wrapped around Nicias' legs. As it was, his heart gave a little flutter. Mihail, unlike father and uncle, was rarely this friendly with people. Costica took in the situation. Mihail, face red and belly down on the floor, clung like a spider-monkey to Nicias. Dragos was flopped over a few feet away.

Nicias, Costica thought, looked the slightest bit bewildered. He probably rarely had strange children randomly attached to him. "I'm sorry, Nicias, Mihail wanted to help. I'll just see if I can pry him loose."

He knealt down and unwound his son from Nicias' legs. As his son had a grip like an octopus, it was not an easy feat. It took several minutes before Mihail released Nicias and had Costica in a choke hold. "Nicias, this is Mihail," he stood before introducing the child.

He honestly wondered how the Custos would react to Mihail. He'd said that he'd been a father once and Cositca wondred exactly what he;d meant. He'd obviously lost a child once but how, why, why and where?

Such were the questions of his life. Not that he would pry though and ,his heart gave another little fluttered, he'd noticed as he crouched down to unwind his son, just now good Nicias smelled.

Costica, in years past when he'd behaved like his idiot brother, had been known to pounce on a person because of how they smelt. It was his weakness.

Because pouncing on Nicias in the hallway while Mihail whimpered against his should seemed like a bad idea, Costica smiled at Nicias. "It's nice to see you again. You should come up sometime for dinner or something."

The moment was ruined by Sorin's bellowing for Costica to get his scrawny ass back down the stairs before he roasted the mattress that was crushing his foot. Costica rolled his eyes. "My brother Sorin. Just ignore him. I guess I'll be seeing you around," he smiled at Nicias again before grabbing Dragos by a stuffed horn and hauling child and toy up to the third floor.

[Shinigami]

Nicias blinked and his eyes widened immediately as the boy attached himself to his legs. He was effectively cut off from being able to stand, but he was too startled to think about it anyway. The last time he had allowed himself to hold a child was when his own son was still alive. He allowed himself to lay a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder as he felt the little pang of sadness. You would think after almost 200 years he would be able to handle children better.

Nici's head whipped up, once again startled as he heard someone bounding up the stairs with a purpose. He figured it was at least one of the boy's parents, but what he hadn't expected was to see his new neighbor, Costica. He gave a small smile at the man's apology. "It's quite alright. He said he fell, but it doesn't seem like he's really hurt."

As Costica set about the task of unlocking the boy from around his legs Nici mentally berated himself for being so surprised he was the boy's father. The man had said he was moving in with his four year old son, and there weren't many neighbors in the building he didn't at least know by sight.

While his legs were starting to cramp from being crouched for so long, he was secretly enjoying the moment. Costica was very good looking, he smelled good, and his voice had a nice timber to it. Nicias was also somewhat newly single. At least, he had stopped fooling around with Jezebel since his return from Heaven and the woman probably gave up trying to get his attention back.

Once Nicias was finally freed from the little boy's rather strong grasp he stood up, letting the feeling return to his legs. He smiled at the boy, Mihail, and gave a little wave. He really was an adorable little boy, and he could see his father's looks in him.

Costica's invitation for dinner was a bit of a surprise to Nicias, but the man seemed to be generally nice. He smiled back, a little relieved that he at least seemed to be making a friend in the man if anything, and he replied with an invitation of his own. "Sure, maybe I will. And you and Mihail are welcome down for dinner sometime as well. I'm not much of a cook, but I can handle a few things rather well."

The sound of a man shouting for Costica drew his attention down the stairs. He raised an eyebrow and had quite an amused grin on his face. Nicias had discovered Costica was a Keahi Vampire the first time they met at his door simply by his aura, but it seemed both brothers were then. "Yes, I'm sure we'll see each other again."

He gave a nod and a smile back and waved once more to Mihail before he turned an continued on his intended path down the stairs. Nicias passed a rather annoyed man, nodding and smiling in passing. He figured it was Costica's brother, Sorin. They looked enough alike to at least be family.

[Demeter]

The next time Costica ran into Nicias, he invited him up for dinner and "whatever." Seeing as Mihail would be attending his first big-boy birthday slumber party that night, Costica was sure that "whatever" would be an expected event. Of course what "whatever" happened to be was still up in the air at the moment. It could be drinking and talking about women, or men, or Costica would become familar with Nicias' body on a intimate level.

He hoped Nicias didn't mind the second-or-possibly-third-hand futon couch as his living room furnature consisted of the futon and a fort made out of moving boxes. He made one last spree around the main bits of the apartment to remove the man and boy created clutter. Nicias didn't need to see the leaning tower of clean laundry or the soda can replica of the Washington Monument.

Costica checked on dinner, an Italian pasta dish, set the table and tried to find his wineglasses or, at the very least, two glasses that weren't decorated with cartoon characters. In the end, Costica had to settle for Taz and Bugs and a pleasent daydream of frying Sorin's ass for fliching his good crystal.

He spent a few minutes primping and a few more where spent in the closet when he discovered the tomato sauce stain on his shirt. He wanted to make an impression on Nicias and had a slightly desperate hope that "whatever" turned into something more.

When he heard the knock on the door, Costica bounded out of his bedroom. He opened the door with a smile on his face. "Hi. Come in. Can I offer you anything to drink? Beer, wine, soda, water? I'm afraid that I can only offer stemware that sports Looney Tunes characters. My brother ran off with the good stuff."

[Shinigami]

Nicias was -nervous-. This was absolutely unheard of for him. He prided himself in being calm, level-headed, and ready for anything. Nici felt like a boy on his first date... and he wasn't even sure this was going to be anywhere -near- a date-like evening! He was invited over for dinner and "whatever," so it wasn't exactly clear was this "whatever" entailed. Nicias was no nervous, he couldn't even remember if Mihail was going to be there, or if it was just going to be the two of them.

His faded green button down shirt was smoothed of invisible wrinkles for the thousandth time as he looked himself over in the mirror again. Nici had on a pair of nice dark washed jeans and fairly nice looking shoes. He wasn't sure if he was being too casual or not, but he figured it made a good enough impression for both a neighborly dinner and a potential in-home date.

With one last sweep of his hand through his usually mussed hair and a deep breath, he left his apartment to make his way upstairs. The trip up the one flight of stairs was both too long and not long enough and Nicias' stomach gave a little flutter as he stopped in front of Costica's door, and he had to take one more deep breath before he knocked.

When the door opened and he was greeted with a smiling Costica, he couldn't help but smile back. The man looked damn good tonight. As he entered the apartment he caught the smell of something delicious and his stomach was quite thankful. He couldn't cook worth a damn, but he tried... much to his own body's annoyance. Nicias chuckled at hearing about the design of their available stemware. "A glass of wine would be great." He would need a glass or two to steady his nerves. "And Looney Tunes characters are quite alright with me."

[Demeter]

Costica nearly fumbled the glass tumblers. He hadn't been this nervous in years. Normally he was smooth and confident when around people he wanted to pounce. There was something about Nicias that just threw him off balance. He only hoped that he didn't drop this pasta dish when he took it out of hte oven.

"Taz or Bugs?" he asked Nicias while he poured red wine into the tumblers. After he handed over the prefered character, Costica leaned against the counter. "Mihail's not here tonight. He's at his first slumber party. He's with other Dark Beings. I fully expect to be called around midnight to come and get him. Atleast I have a car now."

He fiddled with his glass. Maybe, if he kept hishands occupied, he wouldn't reach out and drag Nicias against him. He could normally tell if someone was interested but Nicias had sheilded himself so tightly that he just couldn't tell. And he wanted to know why the Custos had sheilded himself in a such a manner.

When the timer on the oven beeped, Costica turned to check on dinner. He'd learned to cook out of need. Sorin praised the invention of dinner delivery services. He all be worshipped the pizza delivery man and gave him extravagent tips. Sorin had poisoned people when he cooked which was the reason that Costica took over that domestic chore.

He dished up the meal and showed Nicias to the little table he'd placed on the balconey. He wanted to pry into the man's life. He wanted to know what he'd meant when he said that he'd been a father and why he seemed so reluctant about flaughting his power around. When he'd pried Mihail from Nicias' legs, he'd all but shivered. When he was that close, there was no denying the fact Nicias had power.

Costica forked up a bit of pasta, sipped some wine and wondered how to ask his questions. He didn't want to be rude about it. "So, why don't you tell me about yourself. I feel like I barely know anything about you," he smiled at Nicias and fiddled with his fork.

[Shinigami]

Nicias smiled at his choice of Looney Tunes characters. While Taz was enjoyable, Bugs was definitely more his scene - the little trouble maker. "I think I'll take the rabbit tonight." He accepted the glass and took a grateful sip of wine. Nici was glad he had managed to get his sip down before he was informed that Mihail was out, supposedly for the night. He didn't know whether to be relieved or not that he had Costica all to himself for the night, but then again it was boy's first slumber party. "Ah, it first time away from home for the night. Braden didn't even make it to midnight on his first sleepover."

He hissed internally at himself for bringing up Braden and basically opening the floor for questions. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about his son, it was just something he hadn't felt comfortable sharing with anyone in a long time. It was rare even a comment like that slipped out. Maybe it was due to the fact that Costica was also a father?

The beeping of the oven timer pulled his thoughts back to the fact that they were supposed to be having dinner and "whatever." Nicias collected this thoughts as they sat to eat. The pasta dish that Costica had prepared looked great, and he took another sip of his wine before lifting his fork to try out the dinner. Costica's voice drew his attention up from his plate.

The thought of talking about himself was a little unnerving, but he knew it was entirely unfair not to share -something-. And Costica had grabbed his interest. If there was a chance it was returned, he definitely wouldn't mind following through, so he needed offer something of himself. Nici sighed to himself and gave a little smile to Costica. "Well, what do you want to know?"

He knew he was just asking for trouble with that reply, but Nicias decided it didn't matter. He would answer the questions as best he could.

[Demeter]

Feeling more at ease, espcially sense he had the name Braden to use, Costica swirled his wine around in the glass. "I don't know. Favorite food, so I can make it for you next time we have dinner and whatever," grinned at Nicias, "favorite music, color, car, actor. How it is that you used to be a father." He grinned when Nicias jerked. So, the used to be a father thing was a sore spot for him.

"I only ask because most people, my brother included, freak out when Mihail latches on like that. You probably noticed that he's got a strong grip for a four year vampire. Tell me your story and I'll tell you how Mihail ended up in my custody rather then his grandmothers."

After Nicias told his story, Costica leaned across the table and covered one of Nicias' hands with his own. "I am sorry for your loss. I'd go crazy if I lost Mihail. My son started off as a favor to a friend. She wanted a child but, seeing as how she preferred women, she didn't have a viable source from someone she loved. I was willing to donate. I had visitation rights, of course. Nicole never kept me from the little guy but my lifestyle at the time was very..chaotic. I never stayed in one place for long.

"Mihail because a reason for living and I slowly started to settle down. Actually bought a car instead of renting one. Nicole's mother didn't like the idea that her grandson's father was simply a donor. She's a very old fashioned woman. A few months back, Nicole was killed by a confused hunter. She looked like another female vampire he was tracking. The hunter didn't think to question frist. Nicole's mother fought me for custody.

"But Nicole had thought about this. In her will, she requested that I be granted full custody of Mihail. She knew her son would have a very rigid upbringing if he'd stayed with her mother. It's not as tragic as your story but there it is." Costica kept his hand on Nicias', thumb softly stroking the skin. "I am sorry for your loss."

[Shinigami]

Nicias smiled as Costica started off his questions. They were relatively easy, and it seemed he was going to have a fun time answering them. However, when the question about his son hit he was complete unguarded and couldn't stop himself from physically jerking in his seat. Nici took a good mouthful of wine and swallowed it before looking back up at Costica. It was clear that this particular question had been nagging at him for a while, and with a sigh, he set the cartoon laden glass down.

He wasn't even sure what he was going to say to Costica, or if he really wanted to tell the man about his son. Nici didn't think before he began to speak, but he was shocked to find he had started the story of his past. He only hesitated a moment before just giving up and continuing. "Over 200 years ago... I feel in love with a beautiful woman named Alana. She gave birth to our son, Braden, not long after and we all lived in a nice little house in Hell."

Nicias gave a little snort. "I still own that house, but I can't bring myself to sell it or live in it. My son was born with the ability to weave powerful illusions, like I can. By the age of 12 he was using that power to play simple childhood pranks, but he was well trained and it was almost impossible to tell his illusions weren't real, however childish they were. One day while he was out playing, he turned one of those illusions on the wrong person. A Hunter. They reacted without thought, in the end killing Braden."

He took another swig of his wine. "Alana found the Hunter with Braden and attacked him in a fury. He killed her, too, in his own self-defense. With both of them gone I threw myself into weaving my illusions for whoever would pay for them and moved up here, to Earth." Nici looked up and gave a small smile of thanks for the comforting hand on his. He was glad when it stayed there as Costica hold him how Mihail came to live with him, and he frowned when hearing about the loss of another life because of a Hunter not paying close enough attention.

Nicias took another swallow of his wine, this time not nearly as much as before, with the hand he had free. He liked the feel of Costica's thumb shifting over the skin of his hand. Though the mood was dreadful now, he felt the need to let Costica know he was alright. "Thank you," his lips quirked just a little, "And steak, classic rock and roll, green, my corvette, and I don't have a particular preference for actors."

[Demeter]

Costica grinned at Nicias' answers to his other questions. "I'm killer with a grill. I'll make us some steak sometime," he tried to lighten the mood but the feel of Nicias' skin under his thumb was driving him to distraction. Giving up on eating his dinner, Costica scooted his chair closer to Nicias. He brought Taz along with him. He'd save the other tough questions for later.

He kept his hand on Nicias', stroking that soft skin and wondering what he tasted like. To keep himself from doing anything while on the balconey, Costica raised his glass and took a swallow of wine. He wanted to pounce on the man.

Once they finished dinner, Costica drawing up some enthusiam to tear his hand away from Nicias, he ushered the Custos back into the apartment. His balconey was not yet cold-weather proof. He quickly dealt with the dishes before refilling their glasses on sitting down on the futon. "Please ignore that fact that my living room furnature is a mixture of cardboard fort and a futon that has seen better days, probably in a college dorm. I have yet to get around to purchasing a living room set."

Costica set his wine glass down on the wide, wooden arm and sat sideways. "I suppose that this is now the "whatever"portion of the evening. I suppose that since you didn't freak out when I held your hand, this won't freak you out either." he leaned forward, one hand braced on the cushion and another gripping the back of the futon, and kissed Nicias

[Shinigami]

Nicias gave a bit more of a smile at hearing he would get steak, and that Costica was good with a grill too. Nici was a horrible cook, but he knew enough to survive on his own, so if he was being offered good food, especially for free, he was on it. He was feeling a lot more at ease with the dinner situation, a little bit more like his old self.

The feeling of Costica's thumb still rubbing across his hand distracted him enough that he had gotten through a few bites of dinner before realizing he had moved closer. That had to be a good sign, right? He hoped it was, and he hoped it was also an indication of how "whatever" would go.

When dinner was finished he was ushered back into the apartment, a little disappointed that they were no longer touching, but finishing off his wine helped a little. Before he knew it Nicias' glass was being refilled and he was being led into the living room and onto the worn futon. It had most definitely looked like it had seen better days, and the cardboard contraption looked like it could be a pretty fun fort... if you were small and could fit inside it.

When Costica shifted towards him and placed his glass on the table Nicias blinked, but as he began to speak things started to settle into place. He shifted to place his own drink on the table, a little anxious and hopeful. Nici didn't have to be kept wondering long because Costica leaned in and kissed him. He only hesitated a second, trying to convince himself that he wasn't daydreaming before he returned the kiss, shifting closer on the futon to get a better purchase. He was damned happy this was what Costica meant for the "whatever" part of the evening.

[Demeter]

Costica cupped a hand around the back of Nicias' neck. The taste of the man's mouth was addictive. He eventurally released Nicias but, panting slightly, rested his forehead against the Custos's. "I think that "whatever" just took a very sharp left turn. I want you, Nicias," he kissed the man again, leaning into his body. He kept leaning until Nicias was flat on his back and he was hovering over the Custos. He dragged his lips from Nicias' mouth to the curve of his jaw, the little dip under the lobe of his ear and down the length of his neck.

Costica managed to flick open the top few buttons of Nicias' shirt and was starting on a very through exploration of his chest when the phone rang. Costica slanted a look towards the phone, the antenna sticking up just above the back of the futon. Sighing, Costica pried himself away from Nicias' and leaned over the back of the futon to grab the phone.

After a quick conversation, Costica hung up. "That was Mihail. He ate to much pizza and ice cream cake. I've got to go and get him," Costica considered the Custos sprawled on his futon. He stretched out his body until he was able to deliver another long, lingering kiss. "Tomorrow night Sorin will watch Mihail, payback for snagging my wineglasses. Why don't you come up? I'll make you a steak and then I can ravish you, or you can ravish me, I'm not picky, properly."

[Shinigami]

Nicias hummed when he felt Costica's hand slide around to the back of his neck and he moved hie own hands. One gripped the back of Costica's shoulder while the other helped him keep his balance against the futon. He frowned when the man pulled away from his mouth, but as he started to speak, a wicked little smile spread across his face. Nici didn't get a chance to reply before Costica was kissing him again, and he really didn't give a damn, so long as the man kept doing what he was doing.

He felt Costica leaning against him and it didn't take him long to figure out what the man wanted. Nicias began shifting to lay back on the futon. Once he was down he felt Costica shift his attention to his neck and he hummed again, turning his head to give him more room to play and clutching at the back of his shirt with both hands now.

The ringing of the phone caused him to snap his eyes open, not realizing he had closed them, and it took him a second to figure out why someone would be calling and why in the hell Costica would answer. Once he remembered Mihail being out on his first sleepover he couldn't help but smile. That smile turned into a short soft chuckle that he covered with the back of his hand. It seemed the poor kid hadn't made it to midnight after all.

Nicias stayed where he was while Costica talked on the phone, catching his breath and trying to figure out a way for this to happen again... and in a situation where they could finish it. He actually let out and almost purring sound when the man leaning in for another kiss. He didn't mind being interrupted, at least not when it concerned Mihail. The boy would come first. He smirked at Costica's suggestion. "I would love to. We could ravish each other if you think you're up for it." Nici gave a suggestive little eyebrow wiggle.

[Demeter]

Costica grinned, the curve of his lips wicked as he blantently glanced up and down Nicias' body. "Oh, I can most defiantely handle whatever you can dish out." He hauled Nicias off the futon, pulling him in tight and kissing him. He couldn't get enough of the man's taste. He eventually left with Nicias, stopping just long enough for another kiss outside of the Custos's apartment door.

After that, he spent a fun-filled night with a child who had a upset stomach and a need for Nicias.
***
Costica warmed up the charcol grill out on his balconey. Sorin had pitched a fit when he'd dropped Mihail off. Mihail, who loved Uncle Sorin, would enjoy the evening. While he was there, Costica snagged back his glasses and a bottle of red Sorin had bought so many years ago and had been saving for a special occasion.

When Nicias knocked, Costica yanked the man into the apartment, pressed him back against the wall and ravaged his mouth. "I missed you. How do you like your steak?" he asked with a grin on his face. Yeah, he thought, as he prepped the meat, he was starting to feel like he usually did around someone who interested him. And yet there was something else when it came to Nicias. He wanted to romance the man.

He wondered how the Custos would take to being courted...

[Shinigami]

Nicias snickered at Costica's comment, "I'm sure you can." He allowed himself to be pulled up off of the futon and led out to his door. As they shared another kiss outside of his door he wished he could just drag the man inside and finish what they started, but he had Mihail to tend to. He let out a sigh when he got into his apartment and closed the door behind him, but as soon as it was out, a smile started to creep over his face.

He hadn't felt this good, let alone this close to his usual self, in a long while. And he was ecstatic he got to see Costica again so soon.

***

Nicias made sure he was properly dressed, casual but nice and something that wouldn't be too difficult to pull off once they got finished eating. He was much more comfortable about the whole idea of sharing time with the man now that he had talked about Alana and Braden. And it helped even more that he knew the man was as interested in him as he was in Costica.

When he knocked on the door he was was grinning broadly. He planned to give the man a proper hello, however, when the door opened and he was pulled inside, it was him to got ravished. And right up against the door! He most certainly didn't mind, and made sure to give back just as good as he got. Nici grinned right back when Costica pulled away. "Hmmm, medium rare."

He followed the man and hovered close by while he prepared the steaks. Nici couldn't really cook at all, but he could do little things to help if it was needed. Nicias felt much more relaxed and confident around Costica, and it was making him relax his carefully build wards. He had noticed that morning that the wards both around himself and his apartment were so much weaker than they had been the day before. At first he was alarmed, but once he realized why he found he didn't mind so much.

There was definitely something about this Costica that was quickly pulling himself back out of his little hovel, and he liked it. Plus, the man was keeping him well fed so far. That was always a plus.

((ooc- okay... I was SOOOO tempted to have Nici answer that steak question in a slightly different manner... www.youtube.com/watch?v=69KItD3n-w4 watch that... you can skip right to around 2:20 to see why I was so tempted...))

[Demeter]

Costica bumped hips with Nicias as he prepped the steaks. He stood to close for Costica to resist the action. There was something about Nicias that just made him comfortable. He could be at ease around the man. He smiled at Nicias as he rubbed spices into meat and wrapped potatos in foil. No matter what happened tonight, and Costica suspected that it would be wonderful, he would remember these moments of perfect ease.

Once he settled the mean on the grill, and poked the foil wrapped potatos into the hot coals, Costica turned to Nicias. The table was already set with steak eating paraphernalia and he poured the wine that had been sitting on the table. "Mihail is feeling better today but we had a very rocky night. He has sworn off cake and ice cream, which will probably last till the next time the ice cream man comes around. He's with his uncle tonight, who won't let him overeat, even to spite me. Mihail loves Uncle Sorin."

He flipped the meat, poked at the potatos. "I thought about you last night. Hell, I couldn't stop thinking about you today. Made for some very awkward situations while I was giving tours to senior groups. Mostly the way you'd looked, naked and sprawled out on a bear skin rug." Costica sidled up close to Nicias. "I don't own a bear skin rug, I'm seriously thinking about buying one, but I'm pretty sure that we can handle the naked part after dinner."