:: NICKY & TRICK - Valdora ::

[dangernerd]

So, come to find out.. Calypse had been none too amused by the entire shenanigans that had happened at the Graduation Ceremony. This was standard behavior for the Kirkland siblings-- they could fight like cats and dogs, but they had been quite united on this front and had been waiting for this exact moment to sneak into the Lunar Caverns and attempt to find King Eadrick Kirkland's dagger, the one that Nicholas had lost in there on his own Graduation ceremony.

It had been a point of honour for the both of them to find it and whatever strange magic that had taken the dagger and bring it back to it's rightful place.

And right now Nicholas was sitting on one of the benches at Queensglaive Park, lightly twirling it between his fingertips and staring intently at it. He'd used it to cut Calypse out of the Dark Energy when they had been pitted against each other, it had been the start of a relationship.

Now? It was the end.

The words went through his mind, of course they did. There had been a lot that had been said in hurt and anger, including the fact that Calypse could not be with someone who did not respect his position more, their position more; and he'd let Calypse go because the thing was that Nicholas did not. He knew this, being Prince meant little to him in the grand scheme of things; the sword had been more 'bringing back a keepsake' then doing something for the good of the crown. They were different people and they wanted different things, Calypse wanted to climb his ambitions and Nicholas? He had ambitions but they were as far apart as possible from bloodlines and crowns.

And now he was stuck in Valdora and unable to go to Lethe to attend the Festival of the Winds (per directive of the Pentacles, and he'd been dumped. He'd closed up Shadowspires for a few days and the first day he'd laid there on the couch and stared up at the ceiling with his blue eyes slightly glazed, almost tempted to burn everything that was a culmulation of the past five years.

Instead he'd just messaged Trick, asking him to meet him in the park.

Comments

[dangernerd]

Nicky took up the glass offered and then clinked it against Trick's own, a smile on his lips as he drank a rather hefty gulp; alcohol burned going down but it was pleasant and never anything sort of a welcoming sensation-- not to mention that this felt like a celebration rather than a mourning (which his very sensitive heart had wanted to treat the breakup as such) and that was all due to Trick giving him a bit of perspective.

"When I get ungrounded from this fresh hell that the Pentacles have thrust me into, we should go somewhere.. I don't really care what, just someplace new and exotic. Like Port Trinity or hell, even Millenia City."

Protip: if it was found out that he even entertained the idea of going into Millenia City, he'd probably be grounded for far more than life, the southern parts of Sylvia was still very sketchy, including Millenia. "I just want to get away for even a few weeks, I'd even settle for Andavari." even though it was, you know-- lots of farms and stuff.

[giveeverything]

Trick tossed his drink back in one shot and poured another for himself and refilled Nicky's glass while he was at it. What harm could it do? Nicky deserved a chance to relax after the whole Calypse nonsense. Trick really would like a chance to ruin Calypse's day. Or week. Month? Maybe his life. Yeah, that'd about do it.

"Wherever you want to go, count me in. Anywhere in Sylvia." Leaving the country was probably a terrible idea given both Nicky's status as Prince and his own status as a big complicated secret.

"It'd be nice to go somewhere, just to escape the everyday a bit, see some new scenery."

[dangernerd]

Even if they had to take a job somewhere away from Valdora he'd do it; and take the crew too. But invariably there would be large swathes of time when it was just them and he liked that just fine. Everyone knew their friendship and respected it. The heavy pour, well he was too busy downing his shot-- lifting his hand to stay Trick from refilling his own drink before he shot it down as well.

If he was missing airships, well might as well make the most of this right now. Finally he presented his glass for Trick to refill.

Anywhere in Sylvia, his entire goal was to at one point sneak out beyond the bonds, but for right now Sylvia would do because it was not Valdora. "Mmmmmm.. though I think it would be fun to tromp around the desert, also I could potentially learn the disguise self or get fake elf ears and we could go to Kyria."

In what alternate unvierse did Trick ever expect Nicky to be okay with 'just Sylvia'?

[giveeverything]

And refilled it would be.

The warmth of the alcohol was starting to creep through him, and Trick saw no reason to sink into it. They were here and here was home.

But the world did call, he supposed, especially to Nicky who'd been tethered by virtue of his title. Trick offered the start of a smile.

"Desert would pop you like a popcorn in the first five minutes." The smile unfolded into a full grin. "But it'd be a fun five minutes. Yeah, one day, you name the place and I'll follow."

As long as he didn't name Olympia.

[dangernerd]

The alcohol was flowing through the both of them, the fire of it coursing through Nicky's veins and making him far more bold then he otherwise would be, and that was just the way of the world in that he tended to keep to the shadows unless he was comfortable with people-- and then you could not get him to shut up.

Selectively extroverted.

"I will start looking up places." it may not even be in the next year or maybe two-- he had a feeling that he would not be let off the hook until at which point Tish named some sort of heir or had a consort who had a child using the Kirkland genomes. Until then, he probably should play it largely safe. "But no matter the place, I want to do it with you.."

At that moment there was a knock on the door and Nicky let out a low curse. "Who the fuck is that.." to which point he started to get to his feet from where he had been sitting in front of the fire. "Let me go tell them that we are closed." as he started toward the front door which wasn't too far from the sitting room where they were gathered on the main floor.

[giveeverything]

"Have you ever been across the borders?" Trick couldn't recall Nicky having left all that often, but maybe in those years before he met him?

If it had occurred to Trick that Nicky was somehow subject to high scrutiny in protection because he was the current spare heir, he would've suggested something incredibly stupid like playing matchmaker for Tish. Er... for Her Majesty.

He frowned at the sound of a knock, but he nodded. "Sure, yeah." That worked for him, but Trick still sit up taller, then knelt up to crane his neck to listen and see who was there.

[dangernerd]

As the knock sounded perhaps a bit more insistently, Nicky did hold up a finger to in essence 'hold that thought' before he ambled his way to the door on feet that had perhaps a few more shots of whiskey then was perhaps good for all of his functioning motor skills. A brief silence before Nicky's voice said a bit, clearly attempting to be more with it than he currently was.

"Oh, hello Calypse..."

"I was going through an accounting of my things, and I saw there was a few volumes of magical theory that I left here, so I decided to come and fetch them." the voice was clipped and precise, much like ice-- beautiful but ice all the same.

"Uh.. yeah sure." and then he opened the door while shooting a glance over his shoulder at Trick that was only a little bit panicked. Meanwhile Jella was making a very definite mrowring sound with her vocal chords.

"Elementals above, you smell like you fell into a whiskey vat--" came the voice and then the first look of Calypse in his almost impossibly untouchable glory.

"To be fair, your unexpected presence makes me want to submerge myself in one right now." oops did that come out of Nicky's mouth, to which he stalked over into the room and picked up the whiskey bottle sitting next to Trick, and then he applied mouth to head of the bottle and gave a very big draught before slamming it back down on the floor. "Where did you leave it?" Nicky said as he then started forward. "Because I'd like you to get in and out as fast as possible."

[giveeverything]

At the sound of Calypse's name, Trick managed to do the human-shaped equivalent of a cat arching its back and fluffing up as big as it can. Really he was just shy of hissing. What the hell was that dick doing here? Hadn't he caused enough damage?

Trick hopped to his feet, already moving towards Nicky when he was stopped by the Prince coming back his way, along with Calypse. He rolled his eyes at Calypse's observation and deadpanned. "Gee, Nicky. With those deductive skills of his, it's a wonder you never asked him to be part of the agency."

He looked at Calypse with a thoroughly unimpressed look, tucking himself behind Nicky and glaring over the taller prince's shoulder. Choose your words carefully, Calypse. Trick was a cleric, but he'd never taken a single vow about doing no harm. He was a big proponent of harm being a very effective tool in his cleric belt.

[dangernerd]

The whiskey was making him only a little bit mouthy, more so than he normally would've been. If it had been a non-drunk Nicky, perhaps he would've been meek after all this was the guy that just happened to kick him while he had been laid low by the Pentacles. "Yeah well he was never interested in 'dirtying' his hands." and then with that Nicky stalked off.

"I am fairly sure I left some of my books upstairs in the loft." Calypse said, casting an almost withering look at Trick in the process, yes no love lost there whatsoever; because he was remembering the times that Nicky had gone off with Trick-- but truth was that he could not imagine not being the center of anyone's universe even if Nicky had given him all that he had otherwise.

"You know where the loft is..." Nicky said as he stood at the foot of the stairs and gestured toward the steps, still extremely bitter about the entire affair. "Please help yourself to the ruins of whatever it was that we had."

"Aren't you coming up with me, to make sure I don't steal anything." Calypse ascended the stairs and then looked down at the Prince, as he was very good at doing.

"Even I admit stealing isn't your M.O, you don't need to when you get everything you want with just a crook of your finger..." but also Nicky would not be comfortable going upstairs with the other man, mainly because he was afraid of his emotions. "I'll stay here, thanks." but with the tone of Nicky's voice he did not mean thanks.

Calypse had been about ready to go upstairs when he turned around, "Why your Highness, is there something you wish to say to me? It appears that all that whiskey has unstuck your tongue where it matters-- I assure you, I am all ears." oh no, the Fallon temper was coming out which could only be evidenced when the good Fallon came out to play, the one who typified all that the family stood for. "Do you want me back? Perhaps if you made a convincing enough argument, I would consider it."

Right in front of Trick's salad, too.

[giveeverything]

All right. New plan. Instead of burning Calypse's things, they could burn his body to hide the murder that Trick was about to commit. If Trick had the power to kill someone with his mind, the Fallon would be dropping dead where he stood. Alas, he did not. He did, however, have feet he could use to kick the other man directly in the balls hard enough that his bloodline ended right here right now.

Instead, Trick laughed. Once. Sharply. Bitterly. "That's like surviving the plague and having the plague ask you if you miss them." You, Calypse, are a plague upon Elessari, clearly.

Trick made his way over to Nicky and -- in a whiskey-driven surge of bravery perhaps -- wrapped his arms around the prince's waist from behind, glaring at Calypse over his shoulder. His Nicky. Hurt him at your own peril. He wasn't a very good cleric, Calypse. You should know this "You blew your chance. Get your things and get out. We're busy. And Nicky deserves so much better."

[dangernerd]

The thing was that Nicky was a bit drunk as well, and he had been about to open his mouth to say something when Trick dashed in to speak for him, he watched Calypse's expression and there had been a time where he had been very much in love with the man, but he was beginning to wonder how much of it had been feigned, if any of it had been real.. if it hadn't been some power grab or hold on the throne.

It almost made him feel sick to his stomach, though he kept it to himself, managed to get himself together.

That was when he found Trick's arms around his waist, protective. The snark that came nearly audible, perhaps a bit of a spit just like Jella did. Already Jella was rounding the corner to and mrowring almost threatening. He felt a surge of relief. "Yeah, I.. just get your things, like Trick said."

There was a huff before the other man ascended the steps. "It's good to know that your guard dog is in working order, your Highness." and then he was gone, in which case Nicky's shoulders sagged with all the tension that he had been storing up in there. "He left books, I would never have burned books.." and then he tilted his head back to rest against Trick's shoulders, the other man at a height that it wasn't a punishing angle for his neck.

[giveeverything]

Trick knew Nicky too well. He knew the soft vulnerability and self doubt that his prince was possessed of, could only imagine what was echoing around in those dark and empty places in his head at the moment, likely only made louder by Calypse's sudden appearance.

His gaze tracked Calypse, not remarking at the guard dog comment, because it was true at the moment. He would guard Nicky with tooth and claw without any hesitation, and never more than right here in these circumstances. Arms tightening around Nicky as he felt the other man sag against him. Without thinking twice about it, he turned his own head to rest against his best friend's.

"Mm... books have worth to them. The owner of the books is pretty flammable though." Just, saying.

In the next moment his voice went quieter, gentler. "It's true, you know. You do deserve so much more, so much better."

[dangernerd]

Nicholas Kirkland did nothing by half-measures; he certainly did not half-ass shenanigans-- and no matter what he approached with his entire passionate heart-- so the fact that there was even a little bit of imbalance hit him harder than he would've liked. But there had been a power imbalance there, and it had lingered just underneath the surface and affect his already fragile self-esteem when it came to interpersonal relationships.

And also stoked the fires of not being precisely good enough that he had suffered through his entire life. A soft chuckle, the scent of whiskey-- he'd lost track of how many shots he'd had but there was Trick making him feel better.

"I'm a Prince, and that is to say that I don't get nice things, for just myself because of myself." he whispered this, though he had a feeling that Trick would argue with him. "I get them because I am a Prince Nicholas Kirkland and it is my fucking birthright to have them..."

No one had asked him what he'd wanted when he came into the world.

"I didn't fit the ideal that Calypse had in his mind of what a Prince should be, what a man should be, so he weighed everything and decided to cut me like an overtired anchor because I would never fit in his vision."

[giveeverything]

"Yeah well, that's bullshit." Trick was opinionated on this part. "Bloodlines and titles... they don't mean much. They can be shattered so easily." Or burned to ashes in a single night. Deep breath, put those old memories aside, bury them deep. They weren't the point.

"You're a good man, Nicholas Kirkland, not because you're a prince but in spite of it. You don't strut around thinking you're entitled to things or better than everyone else just because you were born in a palace. You're kind and you care and you help people. You're smart and funny and ridiculous. And if that peacock thinks that a prince or a man should be anything less than that, he's even stupider than I thought. Which is saying a lot."

He wasn't letting Nicky go either, instead the warmth of the whiskey in his blood stream whispering that it would be better to hold on and maybe nuzzle into his hair a little, His neck. Just a little. "I'm loyal to you, you know. Not the crown. Not the Kirklands. You." A pause and he added, quieter. "Would you think of me differently if I were a prince?"

[dangernerd]

Nicky did not know how very poignant that statement was from Trick, could not possibly know of course how much that the other man had endured or gone through, and if he had known? Oh gods, it would not have made him treat Trick ever differently. "Of course it would not matter if you were a Prince, because you are Trick and I.. well you are my best friend and that would change absolutely nothing about our relationship."

That was the truth, it was a truth that shone like a candle in a window glowing warmly for all the world to see.

"Well I am glad you did not leave out the ridiculous, I'd be a bit offended if you did." his chuckle was a rumble that vibrated between them, his own comfort level calming down to the point here he could settle here in the circle of his best friend's arms. "I am glad.. Trick, glad that you are here with me-- that you are as constant as the northern star, if I charted a course.. it'd be by your glow you know." which was perhaps terribly romantic of the prince, he could say sentimental things like that too.

"Titles mean so little to me, but damned if there isn't expectation in every crest..."

And expectations were like tests you could not possibly study for.

[giveeverything]

That seemed to ease something in Trick -- which was perhaps strange from Nicky's point of view. But he'd always hated keeping that secret from his closest friend. Nicky knew him better than anyone else, but he still had to hide his identity. He'd never even been able to tell Nicky the name he'd been given at his birth, just the one he'd worn since Sir Dumas had spirited him out of Olympia to save his life.

Maybe he ought to be more focused on avenging his family, on tearing down the usurper and retaking his throne, but it had never been his throne. It had been Guillaume's, and the idea of ever returning to Olympia with the knowledge that his father and brother were dead and gone, it made him feel like that terrified lost child all over again.

This was his home now. Nicky was his home now. "The ridiculous is my favorite part," he confirmed before Nicky went and dropped the single most romantic thing anyone had ever said to him like it was nothing. "You cannot say things like that to me when I've had this much to drink, Nicky. It's very dangerous." Because he was only a man, and a man who had been full of yearning for the entirety of his adult and a good chunk of his adolescent life.

[dangernerd]

"Dangerous?" there was honest to goodness puzzlement in his eyes as he shifted in those arms to look into Trick's eyes, and then he saw the intensity there and for a moment he frozen; perhaps he'd noticed Trick's intensity-- but it had never truly frightened him whatsoever, he'd taken it in stride. The friend with a resting bitch face that could possibly make people cry, the acerbic wit though he knew Trick far deeper-- knew the levels of care that lingered just underneath the surface.

There was a lot of Trick to be admired, including the fact that he could always rely on him for anything including moments like this where he felt stronger with Trick having to face against an ex-boyfriend who even now was likely rifling through his own things.

"You do realize that people have told me I am very good at flirting with danger..." he did not mean for it to come out like a challenge or anything like that, and yet the whiskey had turned his words against him, loaded them like bullets in a firearm. "I am not afraid of danger in the slightest..."

Meanwhile still they could hear the footsteps upstairs as Calypse collected his books.

[giveeverything]

Trick loosened his hold on Nicky to allow the other man to turn, but he didn't let him go. He really didn't want to, and Nicky didn't seem to want to escape, and the liquor assured him this was all an excellent thing and he shouldn't question it.

Of course Nicky had to phrase it as flirting with danger. "Yeah, but you're an absolute idiot when it comes to realizing when danger is flirting with you." It was him. Trick. He was danger. And he was flirting with Nicky, and it was a terrible idea. Their stations. Their friendship. The fact that Nicky was literally in the wreckage of a bad breakup. Or that his asshole of an ex was just upstairs. There were so damn many reasons this was a terrible idea.

Weird how all those reasons had blurred in the haze of the whiskey.

[dangernerd]

Right now upstairs seemed miles away, his hand was trying to find somewhere to settle and it happened to decide that Trick's shoulder was a good enough place to go. This was also the whiskey which was fine, it was all completely fine; he'd had whiskey before-- many times; there had been times when he'd been studying for exams when Trick had come to his dorm room and brought some 'contraband' with him, and they'd gotten drunk.

And Nicky had still somehow managed to maintain his perfect grades, ace his tests.

But right now he was looking into those eyes, and felt his throat grow just a little bit dry. "I've been called an idiot before, yeah." and then his eyes strayed downward to, gods fucking above, those lips-- saw the way that they seemed to glisten with breath and whiskey as well. Terrible idea but he did feel a magnetic pull at this moment, like gravity at it's core proponent.

Right now it was dimly registering that this was a very terrible idea, but there was a part of him that wanted to follow the thread where it led and to hell with everything else-- even though he expressly asked Trick to check him before he wrecked himself. But here they were, "Since you are such a friend of danger, what else is it saying?"

[giveeverything]

"You're the dumbest smart person I know," Trick assured him. It was true. Nicky was blisteringly brilliant, in a way that Trick did not think everyone truly appreciate the full depth of how smart he was. But he was also so entirely oblivious to things right in front of his pretty face.

Not that Trick should be talking about idiots right now. He was being one in this moment, in not ducking away from this before they both did something they'd regret.

Except right now Trivk was thinking how very kissable Nicholas looked, and how could he ever regret a kiss like that? And it felt shockingly, terrifyingly possible in this moment in a way it never had before?

"That it's said way too many words already, and they're all probably a big dumb mistake, but that it'd rather just shut up and kiss you already." He. He should just shut up and kiss him.

[dangernerd]

Now Nicky Kirkland was thoroughly breathless in a way that had everything and nothing to do with the alcohol that he'd ingested-- and he could not look away from Trick. Others may have looked away from the intensity that lay therein but Nicky met the gaze head on and with very little in terms of being daunted.

He was feeling a bit nervy, he knew this. That maybe he was not himself, but emotions had run high and god damn in this moment he felt desirable in a way he had never felt with Calypse-- the gaze that looked like it could consume him whole.

It was dark fire, but Nicky was not afraid of it-- rather he did exactly as one would've expected in this situation-- launching himself right in the fire. "Then it should shut up and kiss me..." and those blue eyes strayed downward to Trick's mouth once again as if sending some sort of subliminal message.

[giveeverything]

Oh the clear sober light of morning would make this all a great deal more complicated, wouldn't it? Fuck. But morning and sober were both a long way off, and how was Trick expected to resist something like this? He had only so much strength in him, and it was failing him in holding onto his self control and better sense right now.

It was the way that he watched Nicky's gaze slip to his lips that was the very last straw.

And with that he did shut up and kiss Nicky, like he had wanted to kiss him forever. the kiss wasn't hesitant or uncertain, it was determined and heated, sure of how very much he wanted this, wanted Nicky, wanted to kiss him again and again and again.

[dangernerd]

There was nothing that was hesitant about the kiss, it was a whiskey-fused collision of mouths-- a dizzying dance as Nicky's fingers fisted in Trick's shirt; eyes closed and he tasted tongue and in turn he pushed fire at Trick. A groan that was spiced with something terribly close to desire, edging into an unfamiliar realm that he had never quite expected to be with his best friend.

He knew this would complicate things but at this moment he did not care, instinct had kicked in and he was being kissed like he was wanted, and that propelled him forward-- dipping himself into the kiss that was threatening to turn into a forest fire, but it wasn't like he was holding back doing all he could to bid the flames to rise.

The least interesting was upstairs poking around looking for books and gods knew what else, the most interesting was pushed up against him treating his mouth like a country to be conquered, while his toes curled in his boots responsively-- god damn the hubris Nicky was as responsive as it got.

[giveeverything]

There was nothing close to desire about the way Trick kissed Nicky. He was well and truly into it, well past desire and straight to need. So oh yes he was being kissed like he was wanted. He was so desperately wanted, an ache that Trick had been burying as deep as he could, set loose now by whiskey and questionable life decisions, and Nicky's lips were more than he had dreamed.

He hadn't ever dreamed that flame could have a taste, but apparently it did, and it was the smokey but sweet flavor of Nicky's mouth. And Nicky was kissing him back like he wanted Trick in return, and maybe that was heartbreak and whiskey talking, but Trick didn't want to think about that.

Eventually he had to draw back because he was getting downright dizzy. But he didn't go far, letting his forehead lean against Nicky's, close enough that their lips were nearly touching. "I... ah..." Words. Words were fucking impossible. Who invented words? They clearly had not thought it all through.

[dangernerd]

He was contemplating the taste but it was far too addictive to it's own good; Nicky made the absolute best decisions when he was well and truly drunk, and well this was one of them. His tongue slid to glide against his lower lip and then he was back, closing the distance once again, palm against the back of Trick's neck as their tongues and mouths collided once again.

Only a milisecond of oxygen to their mouths because it certainly was not going to their brains. His tongue nearly starving as he tasted everything whiskey soaked about their mouths, the taste of tongue and the almost frustrated little moan in between a kiss.

Unfortunately Nicky was very bad at subduing base instincts when they hit him.

A bite against the lower lip, pulling-- eyes fluttered close as he merely allowed himself to feel each pulse of the kiss. Now this was where it had turned to desire right here.. the prelude to a few very bad ideas like a snowball rolling down a volcano.

That was when a voice would startle both the men out of what they were doing.

Narrowed eyes assessed the situation. "Ah, very busy I see? Well it certainly does appear like your breeding is lacking, Your Royal Highness..." but where Trick to see the eyes, there was many emotions written in those swirling Fallon eyes, like voids that dared want to suck Trick into some sort of black hole--- bitter jealousy and a gross amount of spite to add to the list.