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@nicholas-quinn
Nicholas Ian Quinn
he/him. Nicki. July 26, 1988. 37-year-old general manager to the Brownstone Inne. a theatre nerd and natural blonde. brother to Elise and Clara. Living in the suburbs with his boyfriend Oliver and fur babies Daisy, Lizzie, and puppy Mojo. Mr. Darcy to Oliver's Elizabeth. Sam Reid.
BIOGRAPHY I TIMELINE I STATS I
Harley was impressed that Nicki could skate sideways. Harley thought they were good, but they weren't that good. "Yeah....summer is nice while it lasts, even if it is more mild than anywhere else I've lived." Harley agreed. They liked going to the beach and spending time outside, which was harder to do in the cold months. "When I was a kid, my brother and I came here a lot. I was into a lot of physical activity when I was a kid, ice skating was no different....what about you?"
"Best remedy for a mild summer and a cold winter is a long trip to the tropics," Nicki said, with a small smile. He hoped to get there soon enough. A nice getaway with Oliver maybe sometime after Valentine's Day. He stucks his hands into his pocket as he skated. "I tried a million different sports. Soccer, baseball, rugby, tennis . . .my dad was intent on finding something I'd be a savant in. Alas, the only thing I'm good at is being on the stage." And in love. He thought some days that was his true gift, and, if it was true, he'd die happy.
@oliverxsutton
Oliver,
This time last year, I was sitting in my parents' house absolutely miserable. Drinks, presents, small talk - I remember thinking that I was tired of it all. I thought 2025 would just be another slog. I didn't know that within the month I would meet you, and that within meeting you I would remember what it was to be truly happy.
The music box I've provided plays the song that we danced to that first night in January. (Yes, I remember it) The stamp I hope will be used often for the library we will grow together.
You are the best part of my morning, day, and night. I can't wait for the year (and years) ahead of us. I know that we can face every challenge ahead. The one thing I want above all else in this life is just to be with you.
All my love,
Nicki
Here’s to our first Christmas together @nicholas-quinn
Even though it only has been about six months since we’ve been together, I think we both know how special the entire year has been for us.
First of all, yes I know you’re the coffee person in this relationship so I head this little device is quite good. You’ll have to show me how to use it the right way. Next, I asked for a little help to get this put together, but it’s a flip box of our pictures from the last year together, including our animals as well. I know I always tease you about stealing my blankets, so I found this giant one that can just be all yours. It’s big and it’s fluffy, absolutely perfect for you to curl up in. Lastly, this is something I had been waiting to give you; my grandfather’s watch. It’s special to me and I want to show you how special you are to me, that you’ll always be a part of me and you’re a part of the family now.
Thank you for being the best part of my year. I love you.
Yours always,
Oliver
It had been so long since Harley had gone ice skating - living in New York City, they always meant to go to Bryant Park to ice skate but just never got around to it. So on a rare free day, while bored at home, they decided to go ice skating on a whim. They were surprised at how quickly it came back to them - they'd come here often as a kid.
A skater approached them, Harley watched their lips instinctively. They were wearing their cochlear implants, but they also had a hat on and that made it a lot harder to understand what people were saying. "Yeah, I am....you look like you're having a great time."
With a little manipulation, Nicki managed to skate a little sideways, making sure his lips were visible to Harley as they moved. "I'm not big on winter," he admitted, smiling at the absurdity of it. To love summer while living in Maine was a fool's errand. "But I love to skate. There's something very . . . freeing about it." He nodded at Harley's skates. "How'd you learn how to? Your parents?"
"Not really," she laughed and let out an exasperated exhale as she gripped the wall. Her son on the other hand was zipping around the rink without a care in the world. Then again he was using something to make sure he didn't fall, something outfitted with ovc pipes that a bunch of kids were using. "I hate ice skating," she grumbled and blew a strand of hair from her forehead before looking at the other. "How about you?"
Nicki's brow creased, half-in humor and half-in confusion. "You out here for your boy then?" he asked, shooting a glance at the little man in question. He offered Mena his arm as he slowed his pace to a crawl. He was strong enough to keep them both upright and to offer her the chance at something other than the perimeter. "I love this skating," he said with a small smile. "Learned how to when I was young. My dad tried to get me onto a junior hockey team at one point."
Oliver let out soft laughter, seeing Mojo clumsily play with the rope. He watched with admiration at the puppy just being silly. He remembered Lizzie as a puppy with tons of energy in her tiny body. Looking up at Nicki's words, he laughed again, rolling his eyes fondly. "I guess that just means he's a perfect match for us," he smiled. "And... you love me despite my two left feet."
He leaned back, grinning at the man. "As you absolutely deserved it. You promised me a brand new sweater after that, I believe," he smirked, teasing still in his voice. Oliver slowly got up as well. "I think so. I mean, Lizzie already takes on after you stealing the blankets, but now both of them are going to probably give us those big eyes, trying to steal our food."
Daisy had been a feisty kitten. She'd jump onto the bed in the middle of the night to attack his feet, and pounce out from beneath pieces of furniture. It'd been a long time since he'd had someone so young under his care, but it'd been a long time since he was in love to. He was open to all that the experience brought. "I love every part of you," he said, "your feet . . .let's just say there are days I wish I could bundle you in bubble wrap and hide all the ladders and sharp objects away."
He stood then, running to grab treats from the kitchen and bringing them back to Mojo and Lizzie. By the time he returned, Daisy had ventured from her perch and was sniffing, ears back and whiskers forward. He watched breathless until she hissed and then he snatched her up. "No," he told her, "we play nice with our baby brother." She curled tight in his lap, peering out with sullen amber eyes. "One of us will have to be bad cop eventually," he cautioned. "I'm not sure I've ever managed to say no to anyone with the Sutton name."
It had been a while since Bryan had been ice skating. He still did consider himself to be good on his feet, most of the time. Today, he decided to give it another go. He tugged on his scarf and moved along the ice easily. "Haven't done this in a while, but I'm still upright, so I will take that as a win for today," he said, bowing and moving backwards with a grin. "You're light on your feet," he chuckled.
"There's a rink, not to far out of town," Nicki skated a wide circle around Bryan, adjusting his gloves as he did. "I like to visit even in the summer time, remind myself that I'm still good at this. You can come to, if you ever need a refresher." He'd need a friend to come with considering Oliver was likely to injure himself at the mere sight of an ice rink. He laughed at Bryan's comment. "I did ever sport conceivable to man as a kid. I'm good with my body."
"If trying to steer clear of people counts as fun, sure," Sam replied with a chuckle. Rollerblading was more his thing than ice skating even though (in his mind anyway) the concept was more or less the same. But, as he tried to deal with having ice under him instead of asphalt or concrete, apparently he moved a bit too slow for most people that was currently on the ice. "Nice move. So, let me have a guess. It's either you go ice skating often or you actually do this for a living...?"
"If you haven't knocked down any children," Nicki adjusted his speed to match Sam's, coming to skate alongside him, "then you are doing just fine. But typical etiquette is the slower you skate, the closer to the edge you should be. Center is for the big shots." In Boston, he'd seen skaters get heated over the rules, but things were more relaxed in Merrock. "In another life, I'd have loved to be a skater, but alas - it's not hard to keep up with it when you live here."
Oliver laughed softly. “Yes,” he smiled at the memory. He watched as the two of them interacted, easily drawn in by the happiness radiating from Nicki at the moment. Mojo seemed to be taken by him now as well, and a playfulness was moved inside the oversized puppy, causing him to let out a laugh.
He looked up to Nicki at his words. “You are quite the sap today. I think by spring, we were both goners. Remember when you tossed me into the ocean?” he hummed with a smirk. “Shall we get these two a few treats?” He asked, watching Mojo clumsily trip over himself.
There was a moment, with Mojo yanking on the rope and growling like he was something fierce, that he lost his footing. One paw to big planted on the hardwood floor and suddenly he was down head first. He was up a second later, bouncing after the next toy. "Look," Nicki said. He reached over to squeeze Oliver's knee. "He takes after you."
He was quite proud of his sappiness. It was part and parcel of being in love. "Oh, I remember! You dragged me right down with you." He'd always remember those early days. He'd been falling in love with every text and he'd been oblivious. He nodded then, wiping his hands and standing to grab some treats. "Are we going to be a table scrap family?"
Who: Open (0/5) Where: Blades When: Early December
Nicki had adored ice skating as a child. He'd urge his big sister to bring him to Blades, wheedle her down bit by bit until it was less work to bring him than it was to argue. The hobby was one of the bright spots in the bleak, long stretches of winter. He'd kept the skill as an adult, and had taken to coming by Blades once a weekend for some time on the ice. He'd just done a (seamless) lap around when he noticed a fellow skater. With a bit of a flourish, he twirled to face them. "Having fun?" he asked.
“I like it too,” Oliver said, watching Mojo paw at him playfully and he held his hand out, already half the size of the puppy’s own. He smiled. He had a lot to get used to when it came to the house. There were all the rooms and the stairs. There was Lizzie and then there was Daisy. But he knew Mojo would be loved by all, especially with his cute little face. He was already a natural at stealing hearts.
He laughed softly. “Yes we will,” he said, scratching behind Mojo’s ears with one hand and his other grazing Lizzie’s fur. His eyes shifted to Nicki’s face, noticing him getting emotional. “We are,” he stated with confidence. He felt so much love in that moment, and he felt lucky. Oliver leaned in and pressed their lips together gently. “And I love what we have and where we are going,” he smiled. "This cutie is going to have us wrapped around his paw, isn't he?"
These were the moments he'd once thought were impossible. The home, the animals, the partner that he loved a little more each day. The family that he knew could only grow. He had more to be thankful these holidays than he could put into words. He tilted into that kiss, sweet and soft, before resting his forehead gently on Oliver's shoulder. "Our own Mojo Dojo," he said, chuckling as he remembered their Halloween costumes.
He stayed one beat before pulling back and grabbing the little rope toy they'd bought. He waved it enticingly and with, adorable clumsiness Mojo sprung into action. He was playing tug of war with him when he looked up with a cheeky smile. "Well, by this point, I'm used to being whipped. Have been since last spring."
WHO: Ashleigh & OPEN!
WHERE: Cassidy's Candies, coastal area
WHEN: November, 2025
Being new to town -- brand new, brand spankin' new, so new that her boxes weren't even unpacked yet -- wasn't necessarily something different; Ashleigh had lived much of her adult life traveling from place to place, never putting down roots. Sure, she had in New York, when she had been in college, and for a year in Costa Rica, living in a beach bungalow. But this was the first time since childhood that she was going to be making an honest go at building a life for herself. And that meant getting to know the place she was choosing to do that. Or, you know, indulging her sweet tooth. She was standing in the middle of one of the aisles of Cassidy's Candies, debating between two options, when she reached for a bag at the same time as someone else. "Oh, oops! Go ahead, you can have that one."
The holidays were looming and with a new puppy at home, Nicki was busy. There was hardly an hour to unwind. And, when there was, Nicki was stepping out to grab some extra candies to stock the pantry. Something sweet that would see him and Oliver through the worst of house training. He hadn't noticed the other woman's interest in the gummies, but he stepped back when their hands bumped and shook his head. "That would be in terrible taste," he said. "Newbies always get first dibs at Cassidy's."
Oliver blushed again. He was never going to break that habit, no matter what. Nicki just had a hold on him where he flustered him, even out of a place of love. He let out soft laughter as the pup nuzzled into him, oversized paws and all. He was going to be a big boy, but a complete softy. Mastiffs were known for their gentle giant personalities and cuddly nature. He smirked, watching Nicki’s reactions to the name ideas. “Mojo,” Oliver said softly. The name seemed to stick.
“He’s gonna have a big appetite, isn’t he?” He nodded, watching the sleepy puppy start to curl up for a nap. “Lizzie will keep him on his toes,” he chuckled. “We can pick up a few more things as well. A bed and some training pads too while we house train him. Maybe find some old rags just in case, too. That won’t be a problem, though.” He looked at his boyfriend thoughtfully with a smile. “He’s the perfect addition to our family.”
He'd never grow tired of seeing that blush. It was proof of his influence, and the depth of Oliver's love. He thrived on hearing those words, on the tangible reminders. His parents were never big on those displays, his father had gone so far as to discourage them. It was different with Oliver and his family, he felt more connected to them over the past year than he did his own. "It's a good strong name." He bent down to press a kiss to Mojo's forehead. "Our little Mojo. Welcome home."
Oliver's logic was the calm he needed right now. He was already up to his waist in anxiety. "We're going to have a sixty pound baby teething on our furniture." It was a dizzying thought, said more to himself than anyone else, but it was wiped away quickly. He looked up at Oliver, feeling like there was a lump in his throat, and tears gathering in his eyes. The words came out a little breathless. "We're a family then?"
Oliver blushed a little and chuckled. “You’ve noticed,” he said, looking up at him. The puppy had been looking around curiously. Lizzie had pawed at her new sibling, also wanting to play. Meanwhile, he had been on the lookout just in case Daisy decided to make an appearance. Nothing yet, but she was probably just watching them and judging them from a dark corner in the house. Sometimes she would pop up randomly too. He’d gotten used to all of a sudden getting a face full of cat butt while he was in the middle of grading papers. “Hmm.”
“He is. He’s already a chonker, even as a baby,” he chuckled. Their new puppy was just a few weeks old but he was already nearly half Lizzie’s size. “Roger? Dodger?” Oliver asked, looking at Nicki from over his glasses. He was thinking about it a little harder. If they were going with book names, he had a few to suggest. He scratched under the pup’s chin affectionately. “Mojo?”
"With you?" He nodded. "I always notice." He watched the tableau in front of him, unable to contain his fondness. Lizzie playful and open as always, their puppy lifting those big paws in interest. His tail thumped, but he didn't make a move to get out of Oliver's lap. It appeared there was already a favored resting spot. How could Nicki blame him? He'd fallen asleep with his head pillowed against Oliver's stomach enough times to know how sweet it was. His face wrinkled at the names. Roger just brought up Lord of the Flies to him, and Dodger made him think of baseball. He paused though at the last suggestion. "Mojo," he repeated. He said it twice more, directed it at their puppy who lifted one adorable ear. "I love that."
He was already picturing it on a collar, on a food bowl. "We'll need to take him to the vet this week," he said. "And make sure we have the right food. Get him all his shots. Toys . . ." More toys then they'd already bought at least. He was just beginning to spiral down all the responsibilities when he saw Daisy hopping up onto the couch, her tail flicking from side to side as she stared down at them. Nicki offered his upturned hand to her, but she ignored him. "You'll come to love him Daisy-doo."
Oliver had always been a dog person. His grandfather had a dog and now he had Lizzie. It was always inevitable they would add another member to their little family. How soon that would be? They never really talked that part through except that they wouldn’t make any rash decisions. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t follow through on that plan. Instead, they met the puppy with the biggest eyes and wettest nose, just a sweet big affectionate baby.
A mastiff wasn't what he was expecting to just steal his heart but when they went to the adoption center and Oliver sat with him, his heart was stolen immediately. He chuckled softly while their new puppy had found himself in Nicki's lap, curling up like the big chunk of fluff he was. Lizzie was next to him, observing but ready to play. He stretched out his arms for the little guy to come to him. "Gentle, Lizzie," he eyed her carefully. "I do like human names for animals, those are always fun," he stated. "Or, maybe something sweet and goofy, kind of matches his personality."
Nicki smiled, the fondness spilling out of him like sunlight. "I've sorted you out, Oliver. You like book names." He could hardly keep his eyes off their puppy. It'd been a whirlwind of a day. Adoption and then shopping for supplies and then slowly introducing the addition to his new home. Lizzie seemed completely onboard with having a new playmate but Daisy . . . Nicki hadn't seen a whisper or whisker from the queen of the household. "And I don't think Darcy suits him."
He scooted close, one hand fluffing Lizzie's fur and the other reaching down to scratch their puppy's chin. "He's going to get sooo big. Look at these paws." His voice was soft, playful as he asked. "What do you think your name should be big man? Bruno? Hercules?" There was no response besides an adorable, wide-mouthed yawn. "Oh no," he kissed Oliver's shoulders, "this one's hard to please."
Where: The Sutton/Quinn Home When: Early November 2025 Who: @oliverxsutton
They were only meant to be browsing. It was casual. (when was anything casual between them casual) Nicki couldn't now remember who'd even brought it up first. It was over dinner though and maybe he'd had a touch too much wine; maybe he'd fallen victim to the persuasion of that brown-eyed gaze. What did it matter when the ultimate answer was yes? What he remembers, what stuck in his gut, is saying, "They'll be ours."
He should have known it would end this way. They took one trip to the shelter and spent one hour with the puppies and everything happened fast. And now - well now - he was sitting in their living room with a thirty pound mastiff puppy in his lap. He was a stout brindle creature with the floppiest of ears and the chunkiest of paws. He was clumsy and he was sweet. He wanted nothing more than to cuddle. Nicki loved him. He felt the weight of that love in his chest as him plod a course across the rug. The puppy made immediately for Oliver's lap. "We need a name for him," Nicki said, leaning back on his hands and stretching out his legs. "Something he can grow into."
