I am ƝƠƬ a successful ⒜⒟⒰⒧⒯

"I am not a successful adult. I don't eat vegetables and/or take care of myself." ▬ {RP Blog for Nick Miller from New Girl} Semi-Selective Tracking: nxtasuccess ▬ • Rules • Bio • Mun • Open Threads •

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“It is. It’s perfect,” she replied, looking back down and tilting the package to watch the light reflect off of the rhinestones. She would definitely have to swap out the other mic and set this one up for her performance in a few minutes. 

     Pushing the flaps of the box back down, Krystal      returned her gaze to meet Nick’s. How had she      gotten so lucky to find someone so sweet? 

“I had plans with friend for tonight. We were going to go to see play, but something came up and he had to postpone for tomorrow. So, after performance I am going to get takeout Chinese and go home. Maybe watch movie…” 

     There came a gentle shrug, as if she was just now      thinking of asking him this. “Maybe after shift, you      could join me?”

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Well, she definitely liked it. Wasn’t that the point? Even if Nick was a bit iffy about it, her reaction was enough to convince him that he had done a good job. Her smile became contagious--a drug, really--that gave him no hope of holding back the same twitch at the corners of his lips. He had been staring at that beaming face of hers as she observed the microphone, hasty to meet her eyes with attentiveness when she spoke again.

       Nick nodded at her words, close to asking her        what play she’d be seeing until she said that        the plans had fallen through. His mouth        tightened into a line. Both because of the        cancellation and because of her referring to        her friend as a “he.”

Was that some sort of jealousy he felt twisting in his chest?

       Maybe it was until she got to her question. Then,        all traces of worry over her having “someone else,”        dissipated and were replaced with a rush of childish        excitement. How odd it was that the idea of doing        something as simple as just hanging out at her home        with her was something that made him eager. It        seemed doing anything with her was all Nick needed        to be happy.

Wow. What a thought.

        He grinned, nodded almost too vigorously. “Yeah, sure!         It shouldn’t stay too busy tonight--at least once you’re         done. No one will have a reason to stick around         anymore.” With a laugh, “As long as you’re okay with me         invading on your ‘you’ night.”

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     Cards on the table- we’re both showing hearts                Risking it all, though it’s hard

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“You got me birthday present?” 

     She hadn’t told him the day was coming up because      she didn’t want him to feel like he had to get her any      thing. They hadn’t been dating for very long and they’d      not used the words boyfriend or girlfriend yet. But he      must have over heard her on the phone with a friend      the other day and taken it upon himself to get her a gift. 

Smiling wide, she accepted the package and opened it to find a rhinestone covered microphone inside. “It is beautiful, Nick. Thank you,” she grinned, reaching an arm up to pull him into a hug.

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Man, he loved the way her face lit up when she was happy. Particularly when he was the one making her happy. Even if Nick hadn’t been at all confident with the gift--c’mon, it was a fancy microphone--just seeing that look on her face made it all better. Whipped those last traces of uncertainty off of his shoulders and brought a gentle smile to tease at his lips.

      He had dipped his head a bit, eyes leaving her       face for a mere second before he felt an arm       around him. Then, without hesitation, his hand       maneuvered around to her back, and he       squeezed her affectionately. “It’s nothing,” he       murmured in her ear, pulling back to look at       her again. “I just figured--had to get you       something. And the only thing missing in       your act is a kickass mic.”

His attention dipped to the gift. “Well, uhh, maybe not kickass, but super sparkly and ... snazzy.”

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handxgrenadehead

“So, I heard it was your birthday and figured I should do something or get you something-- well, no, I mean, I wanted to. It wasn’t an obligation or anything I just--” Nick swallowed and fumbled with the poorly wrapped present in his hands. “I didn’t really know what to get you, cause I was thinking more of something to bedazzle yourself while you’re up on stage, but you don’t need anything since you, uhh... yeah. You’re good enough without anything fancy.”

       He hesitantly held out the small package with half of a        smile. “And I thought, the only thing on that stage        that doesn’t fit is a boring ol’ black microphone, so...        I guess now this can, ah, shine as much as you do.”

Making a face, “Dang, that’s cheesy. Just tell me to shut up while I’m ahead.”

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Didn’t he realize that it was okay to want to kiss her? She wanted to kiss him too, so it was good that he did too. They’d already done it twice; there was no reason to get embarrassed about it. 

           But as Nick rambled, Krystal simply smiled and            gave his arm a gentle squeeze until he voiced            his ‘stupid question’, which wasn’t as stupid as            he thought. “Yes. Sometimes carnival would            come into town. I went several times. But I            haven’t been on one in America.” 

As they neared the pub, she grabbed the door handle and turned to face him.  “I wanted to kiss you too.” A coy smile and she pulled open the door and walked inside.

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Nick couldn’t prevent the smile that grew on his face when he felt her hand tighten around his arm. He drew her in just a step closer, rotated his head to look at her. “Well, lucky for you, then: you’ll be getting to ride your first American ferris wheel with none other than Nick Miller.” His chin rose with a strike of pride. “All-American.”

      And that feigned smugness would’ve remained had       Krystal not made her final comment before they       entered the pub. It took him a moment for his brain       to catch up, but as soon as it did, his eyes visibly       widened and his lips pursed.

A strange shudder snaked down his spine, and though Nick really wanted to ask why she hadn’t, his voice had fled at that point. So, maybe he was acting a bit like a teenager with how big of a deal he was making everything, but--

       It had been far too long since he felt this good about        somebody. And the last thing Nick wanted to do was        mess up the possibility of something great.

Hearing that she wanted to be intimate with him... that was a good sign, wasn’t it?

       He was quick with regaining his composure, though.        Even if his steps slowed, Krystal’s grip on his arm        led him forward and snapped him back to reality. He        had just about returned to himself by the time they        were seated at a table.

“Better be quick. We’ve got a busy schedule of ferris wheel riding and sand angel making.”

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        “Behind curtain number one …” She pulled the swim trucks         from behind her back. Pink shorts made her smile before she         shook them a bit for him. “The cutest ones, ever!!” She         handed it to him before smiling & pointing to a dressing         room. “I guesstimated your size.”          Without him answering, she walked over to the woman’s         section before pulling a coverup & heading to a changing         room. Shedding her clothes, revealing a sunflower bikini         she slipped it on & observed herself in the mirror for a bit.          “About the heel thing you said, I’ve just been wearing         heels for almost 12 years, so I’m used to it. You should         see how fast I am in sneakers.” A laugh flowed out of her         before she came out of the dressing room. “Your turn.” 

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That was probably the single most humiliating piece of clothing Nick had ever seen in his life. Cute, maybe. Cute in that “puke rainbows” kind of way--in a way that would look good on a girl, but him? This was the surefire way to get every living thing on the beach to point and laugh.

     Heck, even the fish in the ocean would be laughing      the moment he stepped into the water.

He was hesitant to take the shorts from her hand, but the way she handed them off and frolicked off to her own section left him no choice. Holding the garment like it was some dead animal needing to be disposed of, he followed her with his face in a permanent grimace. It wasn’t until she stepped out of the dressing room that he finally spoke.

      “You want me to wear this?” Again, he treated the       shorts like something awful; technically, they were.       “Are you sure these aren’t just extra-extra large       for kids or something?”

[mariodaymiller]

40 Day New Girl Photoshop Challenge

↳ Day 5- Favourite couple: Nick and Jess

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As he readily reciprocated her arm-linking, she smiled softly, looking down at said arms as they walked towards the pub. Did people usually get cuddly on first dates? 

          Krystal didn’t know; dating wasn’t something           she really did often. She had had one serious           relationship back in Zagreb which ended badly,           but other than that, it was a fling here, a one           night stand there. She didn’t like that. 

She wanted closeness and she wanted companionship and she wanted, well, love. 

           Could Nick be someone for her to love? It was            way too early to think about that- he didn’t even            know that she… But part of her hoped he was. 

“What gifts did you expect? A kiss?”

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Thankfully for Nick, he was getting comfortable enough around Krystal that he wasn’t turning red every single time she said something like that. This new comfort, however, did nothing to stop him from blurting out a quick “No!” and looking away. Then, he realized just how rude that had sounded and reverted back to his usual self.

       “I mean... no as in ‘I didn’t expect it,’ but that        doesn’t mean I didn’t want it.” Well that sounded        awfully bold. With a shake of his head, “I’m not        disappointed or anything. It’s just, y’know, if it        happened, I would’ve been all over it.”

Again, his face scrunched. He really needed to get over his tendency to babble whenever even the slightest bit of discomfort or embarrassment washed over him. Most of the time, he just ended up making it worse.

        “So, change of topic--” Nick glanced back at her.         “This might be a really stupid question, but I         figured since you’re not exactly from around here...         Have you ever been on a ferris wheel before?”

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He looked very charming like that, for some reason. He looked charming all the time, but there was something appealing about a well-dressed man being silly. And that smile, that laugh, brought a smile to her lips as well, pleased that he found it amusing and not stupid. “Yes, open them.” 

           She stepped to his side and took his arm once            again. “Pub it is,” she stated, then glanced up            at him and quickly added, “If you are okay with that.” 

Neither of them had stated a preference and he had gone along with her method of picking one, but she wanted him to be happy with it. She would be happy anywhere as long as he was there with her.

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“What, no gifts?” he teased lightly once he opened his eyes to get a look at where he was pointing. The expression that crossed his face made it seem almost like he was impressed with himself--like he had had any control over the decision-making process of their resulting dinner destination. Considering he was the pointer... that had to have some merit.

        When she asked for clarification that the pub was okay,         Nick flashed her a grin and a quick nod. “Yeah, sure. A         place like that usually has a little something for         everyone. No complaints here.” His smile softened,         however slightly, as he moved forward to link his arm         with hers again.

Even the tiniest distance between them had begun to mess with his brain. What a terrible fix he had gotten himself into. Krystal was driving him to the brink of insanity without so much as lifting a finger.

        Yet, somehow, he was okay with it.

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“No pranks, I promise,” she assured him as he closed his eyes. Once he did though, she waited a few seconds before actually doing anything. Partially to let him stew in wonder about what she was going to do. Partially because she got a strong urge to plant a surprise smooch on his lips. 

          But she quickly convinced herself not to and           stuck to her original plan. Stepping forward           again, she brought her hands up to his shoulders           and guided him to spin around a couple times.           When she was satisfied, stopping before he would            be too dizzy, she stopped him to face a different           direction than when they started. 

“Keep eyes closed. Point somewhere.”

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Needless to say, Nick felt a little foolish standing there in the middle of the walkway with his eyes shut. Even more so when he proceeded to stand there in anxious silence before Krystal ended up doing anything. He couldn’t prevent the little jolt that shook his frame when her hands finally found his shoulders, but he made sure to loosen up and clear his throat as if no such thing had just happened.

     As she began to spin him, he caught on to what she was      doing. A smile pulled at his lips, followed by a light laugh.      “Well, this is one way to solve the ‘I don’t care’      problem with restaurant-picking.” He kept up with the      way she spun him, almost continued even after she      brought him to a halt.

Then, with a contemplative noise deep in his throat, Nick lifted a hand and pointed. And even when he knew the answer, he couldn’t help feigning naivety. “Can I open my eyes, now?”

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 sweetredchevy:

Indignation returned to the boy’s features, though it was short-lived, replaced by excitement when the man offered his proposal;

            “Yes, Nick!” Was his enthusiastic response,              coupled with an equally vehement smack              of a palm to the counter top—              you’ll have to excuse him, he was just eager              to show off he could do it                          (EVEN THOUGH HE CAN’T).

But, hey, practice makes perfect, right? And besides, there are a lot worse people Adam could be drinking around. With Nick, he at least knew he was in good company.

        “So—when are you not working?”          Wasn’t kidding when it was mentioned he was eager.

Well, that was an eager response if Nick had ever seen one. He actually jolted when Adam’s hands met the counter top, withdrew his own as if scared he’d get hit. However, a moment later, an amused grin spread across his face.

      “Whoa, now. I’m not buying you a puppy, Adam.       I’m just offering you a few drinks,” he teased.       “Goddamn child on Christmas or something--       jeez.”

Rolling his head back to remedy a stiffness in his neck, Nick thought over his schedule. “Well, I’m free tomorrow. But if you need longer to prepare, we can wait.”

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Nick was weird and he knew he was weird, even if he wanted to pretend he wasn’t. And Krystal loved it. The best part was that thus far, he had been trying to impress her, so who knew what kind of weirdness he was managing to keep under wraps? She couldn’t wait to find it. 

           Being presented with a question about what            they should eat, she looked at the places along            the boardwalk- most of them shops, but she            spotted a few restaurants up ahead of them            and some behind them. And it looked like there            was a pub or two down a side street. “I don’t            come here either,” she replied. 

Then she had an idea. Letting go of his arm, Krystal stepped back just a bit and looked up at him. “Close your eyes.”

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Nick came to a halt when Krystal veered in front of him, his eyes meeting her face with stirrings of confusion. Already, the place on his arm where her hand had been felt cold, and he subconsciously crossed his arms just to fill that emptiness.

     When she voiced a command, his brows arched      and a grin spread across his face. “Ohhh no. Is      this one of those things where you tell someone      to close their eyes and then pull some prank on      ‘em?” He cocked his head. “You may be nice on the      eyes, but I don’t doubt you’ve got some tricks up      your sleeve.”

As argumentative as Nick had been, he ended up closing his eyes but a moment later. Because, honestly, even if it was a prank, he’d be happy if she was the one pulling it.

[hogwarthoggle]

Do I regret it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably.

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For a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if she still would have caught his attention if she hadn’t dolled herself up the day they met. If she had gone out as Yitzhak that day, she knew they would still be strangers. 

          But that thought quickly dissipated when           she caught him looking at her, like she           was the most beautiful thing he’d ever           seen. The way every woman wanted to           be looked at. Her heart thumped in her chest. 

“You are hard not to notice too. In the good way and weird way.” A playful smile punctuated her last couple words as her thumb gently ran over his bicep.

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“I’m sorry, ‘weird’?” Nick repeated, feigning insult by her words. “I’m not weird. Just your everyday bartender trying to make his way in the world. You’ll be seeing a lot weirder things at my bar when you sing there, just fyi.”

      In reality, he had taken her comment as a       compliment: probably the exact thing she       desired. She had, in fact, said that the       attention he drew to himself was good. At       least in her eyes. That was all he strove       for.

If he stood out to her, then what was the use worrying over everyone else?

      He smiled a bit when her thumb brushed       over his upper arm, exceedingly impressed       with himself for not visibly making it a big       deal. In his head, he could celebrate as       much as he wanted.

“So, any food catching your fancy? I don’t come here too much--” Seemed weird to say considering he was just there in a drunken stupor. “--so I don’t know a lot of the ‘local cuisine,’ but I’m sure there’s a bit of everything.”

[handxgrenadehead-deactivated201]

Krystal smiled softly and nodded when he explained the new word. Obviously, he wasn’t exactly smooth but she doubted that he went unnoticed. Of course there were plenty of women who had different tastes, who only wanted professional, clean-cut men. But there were also plenty of women who liked the scruff and the stupid jokes. 

           And the button up shirts with the sleeves rolled up,            because there was just something about that look            that was attractive and Nick really pulled it off. 

“Maybe it’s good you’re not stud, then. You would have been too busy entertaining ladies to talk to me,” she replied, smiling up at him.

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He looked over at her with an expression clearly displaying how ridiculous he found her words to be. “‘Too busy’? Heck, I could have every girl imaginable hanging off of me and I'd still talk to you,” Nick argued. “You’re kinda hard not to notice.”

    His eyes fell downward, seemingly interested in     his shirt for several moments as he fussed with     the buttons. “And I mean that in the good way.     Not the ‘wow, that person’s weird’ way.”     Wetting his lips, Nick chanced a peek back at     Krystal--at her face. Her eyes. Her nose. Her     lips.

Really, someone like her just had that certain air to them that made them draw in attention. He had to count himself lucky that, as far as he knew, he didn’t have any competition to deal with. Then he’d really be in trouble.

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“Okay.” Seeing his elbow offered to her, Krystal happily slipped her arm through and held onto his gently. It had crossed her mind to do just that before he offered it, but she didn’t want to cling to him if he didn’t want her to. 

           She looked around at their surroundings as            they started to walk out of the parking area.            The beach wasn’t somewhere she came often,            so she didn’t know what kinda of places there            were to eat here. Plenty of seafood, she was sure. 

But when she spoke again, it wasn’t about dinner. “What does ‘stud’ mean?” It wasn’t a familiar word to her, but if being a stud meant Nick would stop saying the ridiculous things he said, she didn’t think she wanted him to be one.

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The last thing Nick expected was having to explain the term to her--especially when it was actually a rather common one. Considering where she was from, however, he reminded himself that it really shouldn’t have been all that shocking, and he fell silent as he thought about how to go about it. Lips pursed with thought.

      “It’s--well, I guess it’s what you call a guy       who’s, uhh... really smooth, y’know?” She       knew what that meant, right? “A guy who’s       popular with the ladies and isn’t constantly       making a fool of himself.” A smile played at       his lips, and he turned his head to look at her.

“I mean, of course I’m already a stud. You’ve seen how well I talk and manage myself.” Laughing gently, “No, that’s okay. Where I’m at now, if a girl notices me, it’s special.”

       You’re special.

[justenoughstability-deactivated]

The voice too? Okay, this was just weird. 

          Lowery’s eyes flicked down to the other guy’s-           Nick’s- body, but loose-fitting jeans and a button           down shirt left most things to the imagination.           Though, that was what they were both wearing. 

“Yeah,” he finally said, eyes quickly returning to the other’s face, when he realized it was his turn to speak. “I’m Lowery. You live there?” He asked, motioning towards the door Nick had just come from. 

           Lowery had heard before that apparently everyone            in the world had a doppelganger out there somewhere.            If that’s what this was, what were the odds that he’d            end up moving into the same apartment building as his?

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Did this guy give him a once-over, or was Nick just imagining things? He couldn’t help shifting his position at that --as if suddenly worried about how he presented himself. Why he cared about his first-impression, he didn’t know. The entire situation thus far had been strange, and that was only a part of it.

       “Uhh, yeah. I live... over yonder.” Over yonder?        Now he really was talking weird. “Just--yep. Right        there. That door.” Maybe just to give himself a        reason to stop looking at this copy, Nick turned to        look over his shoulder, gestured to apartment 4D        with a jerk of his thumb.

Great conversation thus far. He swallowed thickly, eyes returning to Lowery as he stifled a grimace at the reminder of how similar they were. “So, yeah. Welcome?”