[selenebxchanon]

“They’re not your babies,” Selene hissed from the bedroom as she rifled through her things for a sweatshirt that didn’t reek of dollar store goods and Nick Hudson. She emerged in a Kermit sweater that looked about a thousand years old and stepped over Nick to make her way to the screen doors in her living room. Shoving the doors open, she dropped down into her seat with a heavy exhale as thunder rolled in the distance.

“I have work in like three hours, Nick,” she said before shooting a glare at him. “I’m not leaving you here.”

[prickhudson-blog]

“Why not?” Nick prompted, deciding to go full toddler and rolling all the way into the living room, gathering cat hair and dust as he went. He shuffled all the roaming kitties to his chest once he hit the chair Selene was sitting in, her feet digging into the small of his back.

“Why is ma so ashamed of us?” Nick implored Stromboli, who mewled curiously at him. “Ma, why?” He mashed his cheek to the cat’s, turning them both to look up at Selene.

[selenebxchanon]

Selene stared blandly at Nick as dove onto the floor to greet her cats, unimpressed with his behaviour but pardoning it on the fact that nobody else was there to witness it and suffer the second hand embarrassment. She kicked the door closed behind her after raking Nick’s legs into her condo and bent down to scoop Boconccini out of Nick’s reach before he could steal all of her cuddle buddies for the evening. 

“You are not their father,” she hissed as she passed him and made a beeline into her kitchen. The sun was already rising and devouring the remnants of the storm as dawn reached the horizon and she stared bleakly out the window of her kitchen for a moment before setting the snacks down and opening her cupboard for a fresh bottle of Xanax.

“You know, you could always get our own,” she called out as she grabbed her pink juice and circled around towards her bedroom. “Cat, I mean.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick had Stromboli in one arm and Ravioli and Spaghetti in the other. He was busy purring along with the three cats, pausing only to shoot Selene a considering glance before returning to his enthusiastic smothering.

“Don’t think so. It’s just another thing to worry about.” He buried is face into Stromboli’s stomach, voice muffled. “And I wouldn’t have an excuse to come over. Babies need their papa.”

[selenebxchanon]

Selene furrowed her brows as Nick attached himself to her back, refusing to acknowledge that somehow they’d clumsily bumbled into a realm where Nick felt at home using her hair as a pillow to lay in. She made an effort to swat at his incessant nosing as they entered the elevator but gave up pretending that she was at all offended by his neediness by the time they got to the door of her condo.

Carefully opening the door, she was unsurprised to find Stromboli and Boconccini sitting on her slippers in wait of her return. Stromboli, who had been looking particularly maudlin, perked at the sight of the large cat Mom brought home and meowed his approval.

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick instantly forgot his fear, treats, and everything else the second Selene’s door swung open to reveal her feline entourage. Happy and mollified, he launched himself straight at the floor, gurgling like a toddler in a ball pit as he gathered as many furry friends into his arms as he could.

“Papa’s home!” Nick cooed, rubbing his face into the fattest one.

[misskatifarkas-deactivated20160]

“Calm down,” she muttered, rolling her eyes again. “Maybe we should do something to keep our minds off the fact that we’re stuck in an elevator?” Kati offered.

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick was willing to try anything that would help him forget that he was just one cut cable away from plunging to his death.

“Like what? Truth or dare? Twenty questions?” He tilted his head. “Whatever happens in the elevator stays in the elevator?”

[selenebxchanon]

“Right.” Selene took the opportunity to escape from Nick’s claws the moment he left her side to favor his doughnuts and she had every intention of making off with her loot as she pushed open the door to her building when a clap of thunder rattled the windows. While she was personally undeterred by the noise, she immediately looked back to watch Nick’s reaction.

Sighing, she let her head drop back in exasperation and wedged the door open a little wider. “Are you coming or what?”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick didn’t hide the relief that overcame him at Selene’s invitation and he enthusiastically scampered forward, winding his arms around her middle and attaching himself like a particularly unwieldy backpack.

“Coming!” he said, stealing another doughnut and smothering his face her hair at the subsequent rumbling.

[selenebxchanon]

“Bullshit,” Selene declared before stealing a powdered doughnut from Nick’s stash and popping it into her mouth before he could protest. “You’d totally be with her and acting like a cool guy while regurgitating some tired old poetry about why storms were named after girls or whatever. What I don’t get is why does Grace get Cool Guy Nick? I mean, aside from the fact that she’s naive enough to buy it.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick narrowed his eyes, pulling away with a frown. “If I managed to crawl out from under a desk long enough, I might be able to.” He hugged his doughnuts to his chest, shoulders hunching instantly at the lightning that flickered through  the windows. 

[selenebxchanon]

Selene gave Nick a half-hearted nudge as he glued himself to her side like an overgrown koala and had it been any later than 4AM, she might’ve ditched her arm entirely at the pitched noises reverberating into her shoulder and made a mad sprint for her building at the end of the block.

“I didn’t realize it was Christmas,” she retorted sourly as she bumped him with her hip to try and free up some walking space. “It certainly feels a lot more like Halloween. Unless you’re supposed to be Krampus and this is my punishment for not recycling as often as I should. Seriously, Nick. Would you do this to Grace?”

[prickhudson-blog]

“Of course not,” Nick said, making a grab for the bag of doughnuts. He tore into it with eager desperation, popping two into his mouth all with one arm still looped with Selene’s. “As if I’d be with anyone during a storm,” he mumbled absently around a mouthful, reaching for another.

[selenebxchanon]

Selene shot Nick a look before slamming down another twenty as they made their way past the cash register. She didn’t have the nerve to spare the cashier another look, knowing already what to expect when she was towing a six-foot-something man-child out with her on one arm and an armful of kiddie snacks with the other.

“Do you need me to walk you home or something? Because that’s where I’m going and you’re still not invited.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick opened his mouth to retort that he was fully capable of weathering the storm for another block when a deafening clap of thunder rattled a strangled noise from his mouth instead of the clever words he had prepared. Plastering himself to Selene, he whined pitifully into her shoulder, which might’ve been funnier if he’d faking it.

“Shouldn’t your heart be two sizes bigger by now?”

[selenebxchanon]

Pulling her hood back up over her nest of hair, Selene glared down at Nick’s arm as it looped under hers but chose not to comment in fear that drawing attention to her displeasure would encourage him. Admitting enjoyment and deflecting seemed to do the same things with Nick only deflecting allowed her plausible grounds for denial later on.

“We are not friends,” she grumbled, scooping up several cans of red bull, a bag of scuba diving octopus and her pink abomination before she started heading out the doors with Nick in tow. “Shouldn’t you be spying on someone having a late night rendezvous with Miss Jackson somewhere? How do you even run a business like this?” She jostled her elbow. 

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick pretended to be unaffected by her remarks, grabbing a bag of powdered doughnuts and several bars of milk chocolate as he passed. “I only spy on clear nights, I’m not an amateur,” he sniffed, jostling her back. He added them to her pile of cartoonish treats, peering at her imploringly like a child with his parent at a candy store.

[selenebxchanon]

Selene glazed over the fact that Nick admitted to having her nudes in the first place in favor of trying to dislodge him from her shoulder before he merged with it, doubling her efforts when she could feel his breath against her neck and the flush of his cheeks against her pulse. 

“I could tell the entire world in ten seconds if I wanted to–” she started before catching her own folly when Nick peered up at her, eyes glimmering and smug. “Piss me off more than you already do,” she amended stubbornly, her mouth pinching into something that looked more like a smile than a scowl. Selene jabbed her palms at his shoulders abruptly and tried to slough him off of her while distinctly avoiding his eyes. “Get off, I only came here for soda.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick peeled himself off Selene like a sticker, beaming triumphantly as if he’d won something significant. “And look what you’re leaving with,” he said, threading his arm through hers because he liked to push her buttons and not at all because he could still hear the dull clap of thunder in the distance. “Friendship,” he gushed.

[selenebxchanon]

Selene wasn’t so naive to think that Nick would let up so easily and felt marginally proud of herself for catching Nick’s weight as he barreled into her like a fat kid into a cake. She groaned as if being the sole pillar keeping Nick from catastrophic ruin was an entirely unrewarding job and that some part of her didn’t revel in his vulnerability.

“What are you going to do? Send my nudes to Gossip Girl?” Selene said as she tried to itch her nose while reaching around the curve of Nick’s back. “Sending in photos of me clothed would be more damaging to my reputation at this point.”

She deflated against Nick’s shoulder with a roll of her eyes. “Fine, I won’t tell anyone,” she grumbled. “As long as you don’t piss me off.”

[prickhudson-blog]

“I would never send your nudes to Gossip Girl,” Nick said automatically, and was a little horrified to find that it was true. He tucked his face in to hide his expression, flushing and irritated about it.

“So you mean you’re going to tell everyone in, what, ten seconds?” He lifted his head a bit to peek at her. “I always piss you off.” His eyes creased distinctly into a smile. “You love me for it.”

[selenebxchanon]

Selene’s face fell as Nick looked up at her, his big blue eyes glassy from terror and his cheeks puffed up and reddened by vigorous scrubbing. He looked like what she thought Spaghetti would look like if he was a person and she tucked her chin into her neck to make an ugly face that she hoped reflected her disgust at him and his comments. 

Tipping her head back to look up at the ceiling, Selene was almost disappointed when the store was illuminated again. Her eyes immediately shifted to find the clerk who had tucked away behind the counter with his hand suspiciously beneath the cash register with his eyes pinned on the two of them camping out in his chip aisle. 

“Come on, Nick. Your camera flash is brighter than that,” she goaded as she nudged at his side. “Just pretend it’s the paps.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick shot Selene a horrified look. “That’s arguably worse,” he grumbled, sitting up slowly with a wary glare at the front of the store. He started to rise, only to latch onto Selene when another bright flash flickered through the windows. Fortunately, the storm seemed to be receding, when the only sound that followed was a distant growl.

“If you tell anyone about this, I’m going to be very angry and act accordingly,” Nick threatened Selene’s hair.

[ninthvibration]

Upon realizing that Nick wasn’t going to budge, Penelope dropped her act, deciding that getting a picture of him would just have to be a task for another day. Instead the brunette raised her hands up in surrender, a playful laugh her only response to her friend’s dramatics. “You’re no fun.”

She insulted the happy grin on her lips taking away most of the heat. “And you can relax, I was just quoting Taylor Swift. But you’re going to have children, who the fuck else am I going to tell embarrassing stories about you to? I already have it planned out, you’ll adopt. Two Spanish boys, they’ll be twins of course. One is named Guillermo and the other Edwardo. And I’ll be the cool aunt that makes sure you don’t accidentally kill your kids. Brilliant right? You can thank whatever Hawaiian shrooms I was on when I had this fever dream.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Relieved to have weaseled his way out, Nick replaced the cap on his lens as he scowled at Penelope. “I’ve never even had a pet, what make you think I could raise two human babies?” He gestured wildly. “I’ve heard they leak.” As a self-identified neatfreak, dibbling creatures simply would not do.

[selenebxchanon]

“Okay, for the record,” she interjected, tone pointed and pitchy. “We ran out of Xanax for like a week after my parents divorced. I was completely sober.” And alone at graduation, but her protest died before she could delve into the more personal and revealing aspects of her personality. Selene, for all of her fanfare and drama, preferred the focus pinned on things like whether she meant to throw shade at Lindsay Lohan for nabbing her schtick or if she slept with all three Jonas brothers. 

Selene hadn’t noticed the rumble and wouldn’t have if Nick didn’t double down in his effort to burrow a tunnel through her. She looked down at him in pity and perhaps a little bit of begrudging fondness at the stupid tuft of hair that persisted in fighting gravity when Nick couldn’t seem to fight anything. 

“I have to say though, Nick, your veneers are amazing. You should look into endorsing Crest.”

[prickhudson-blog]

“Thank you,” was Nick’s polite reply. He turned his head, peering up at Selene with his cheek pillowed on the top of her breast. “Don’t ever get fake tits, Ben. I like you soft.” He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by the buzz of refrigerators as the lights flickered on. He almost perked up, if it weren’t for the blinding flash that followed, as if pointedly reminding him to stay on the floor.

[ninthvibration]

Lunging forward just as Nick stepped out of reach, Penelope’s pout once more reigned over her features. Though this time around it was halfhearted, a futile attempt at guilting Nicholas to play far. "If you really loved me…….“ She drawled, long lashes batting themselves in just the right way. "You’d let me take at least one picture. But I guess you don’t love me as much as I thought….” Dropping her head, the brunette let a small frown form on her lips. “It’s fine….I left for a few weeks and now I’m no longer your favorite. I get it. Just promise me this, if you have children some day. When they point to the pictures, please tell them my name. Tell them how I hope they shine.”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick looked baffled, shooting Penelope a bewildered look as he cradled his camera protectively to his chest. There was a reason his Instagram feed was filled with everyone but himself.

“Stop being weird,” he commanded. “I can’t believe you’d say that to me. Children? You’ve been gone too long, Pen. I love you, but you’re not you anymore,” Nick said, swooning dramatically.

[misskatifarkas-deactivated20160]

“Well it’s better than trying to break the very thing we are trying to get out of,” she snapped. “Good going,” Kati muttered, leaning against one of the walls of the elevator. “I’m starting to think you’re bad luck.”

[prickhudson-blog]

“I’m starting to think so too,” Nick growled, glaring at the ceiling. “Maybe I’m cursed.”

[selenebxchanon]

“Duly noted,” Selene replied without heat, her fingers flexing around his as she succumbed to his burrowing and resigned to her fate as an extremely beautiful and expensive human blanket. Holding him felt like such a minor thing that she wondered at all if it was helping or if she was just touching him more than necessary. It hadn’t occurred to her until then that she couldn’t remember the last time she was afraid of anything.

“You know, I bet this was cute when you were like, six, but you should probably see someone,” she mused aloud while her eyes absently scanned the labels on the shelves behind him. There was something about the kitschy marketing on asian snacks that she decided she didn’t like as she stared at what looked like a scuba diving octopus. “Come to think of it, that was probably the last time you were ever cute. Puberty didn’t really do you any favors did it? I mean, that last foot of height really saved you from becoming Denis Humpfrey 2.0 but you were….” She paused, trawling her limited vocabulary for the right word. “Forgettable. I don’t even remember what you looked like before we graduated. Were you even there?”

[prickhudson-blog]

Nick made a small noise, pressing his ear to Selene’s heartbeat as he listened to her extended abuse with the same sort of comfort people had for their yapping dogs. The little kind with shrill voices.

“Of course I was there. Don’t pretend like you didn’t make me sit through your terrible Lady Macbeth. I’ll never--” He abruptly cut off, freezing mid-sentence when a deafening rumble stirred his chest. “I’ll never forgive you,” Nick added, noticeably softer with his face mashed in her chest.